


There's something with the birds

by donnawanderedoff



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Horror, Blood and Injury, Crossover, F/M, Halloween Challenge, Kabby Halloween week, The 1oo characters in Hitcock's universe, The Birds Hitchcock, birds attacking people, horror movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2019-01-17 05:30:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12358509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donnawanderedoff/pseuds/donnawanderedoff
Summary: There are gulls everywhere.The sound of their screeches makes their skin crawl. Horrified, Marcus and Abby watch how the birds dive down on the children, their wings flapping while their beaks peck at their arms, face or pull at their hair. The children are crying, trying to outrun the birds as their mothers try their best to protect them. Callie has thrown herself over Sophie and another girl while birds keep diving down at them.“Marcus, what’s happening?” Abby cries out as she slips her shoes on, her voice shaking with fear.“I have no idea, but you have to get inside. Get my mother and as many people as you can and hide. I’ll get Callie and Sophie.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Characters:
> 
> Abby Griffin - Melanie Daniels  
> Marcus Kane - Mitch Brenner  
> Vera Kane - Lydia Brenner  
> Sophie Kane - Cathy Brenner  
> Callie Cartwig - Annie Hayworth  
> Jacopo Sinclair - Deke Carter  
> Thelonius Jaha - Deputy Al Malone  
> I tried to stay as true to the movie as much as possible. And I'm not joking, I rewatched it three times. But of course, I made some changes, the biggest one is making my Lydia Brenner aka Vera Kane a much warmer person. And of course, some tension-filled Kabby moments. 
> 
> I have used dialogue from the movie so all credit goes to Alfred Hitchcock - The Birds from 1963

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my entry for the Kabby Halloween days on tumblr. This is for the movie AU and it’s a crossover between The 1oo and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. The second and final chapter will be added on October the 29th.

It’s another sunny day in San Francisco as Abby makes her way over to the pet shop. Stopping in front of the store the sounds of birds screeching catch her attention, tilting her eyes towards the sky, she notices how a flock of gulls is circling above the square.

_How strange._

But before she can give it any further thought the barking of a dog startles her. Chuckling and shaking her head, Abby walks toward the door and enters the store. The sounds of birds chirping filled the air and with a small smile, she makes her way towards the counter where the shop’s owner, Mrs. MacGruder is going through some papers.

“Good morning. Have you seen the flock of seagulls hovering above the square?” Abby inquires.

“Good morning. And I have, I think there might be a storm heading our way. Those tend to drive them inwards as they search for shelter. But I didn’t expect to see you this early Miss Walters. Your bird hasn’t arrived yet,” Mrs. MacGruder explains, causing Abby to frown.

“You assured me that he’d be here at 3 o’clock and it’s now - glances at her watch - almost 3:30.”

“I understand that Miss Walters, I’ve already called them several times. I’m sure they’re under their way. If you like I’ll call them again,” the woman says before moving to the back of the store.

Abby opens her mouth to halt the woman, but she stops herself before uttering a single word. She had nothing planned today so what were a couple more minutes? Just to be sure she grabs both a piece of paper and a pencil before writing her address down.

“I wondered if you could help me?” A male voice to her right asks.

Turning her head, Abby sees a man standing next to some cages. He’s holding his hat in his hands, while clad in a smart suit and with his hair slicked back. 

“What?” She exclaims without giving it a second thought. It’s only when the words have slipped from between her lips that Abby realises how rude she probably sounded.

“I said, I wonder if you could help me?” The man repeats more slowly, his tone taking on a condescending note. The haughty smirk he throws her way makes her skin itch with irritation.

Plastering on a fake smile, she approaches him. “Yes, what is it that you’re looking for sir?”

If he thinks that she’s a shop girl, she’ll act like a shop girl. If she's quick about it, she might even be able to sell him some birds for a ridiculous high price.

“Lovebirds. I understand there are different varieties. Is that true?”

“Oh yes, there certainly are,” she confirms, even though she has absolutely  _no_  idea what he’s talking about.

“Hmm. Well, uh, these lovebirds are for my sister, for her birthday you see, and, uh, as it’s her eleventh birthday I, I wouldn’t want a pair of birds that were ..... too demonstrative,” he murmurs, looking slightly embarrassed.

Abby tried her best not to smile, “I understand completely sir.”

“But at the same time, I wouldn’t want them to be too aloof either.”

“No, of course not,” she agrees.

“Do you happen to have a pair of birds that are, how shall I put this, just friendly?”

“Friendly, sir?” She asks, giving him a confused look.

“Yes, you know, birds who aren’t too uhm -”

“Demonstrative?” She offers, repeating his earlier statement.

“Precisely.”

“I’m sure we have. Let me have a look,” Abby states as she brushes past him and starts to walk towards the cages.

From the corner of her eyes, she notices how his eyes briefly drop towards her backside before he clears his throat and follows her. Abby realises that Mrs. MacGruder can come back any second and then her little act would be over, but there’s something about the man that makes her want to tease him.

“Here we are, a pair of friendly lovebirds,” she announces while stopping next to a cage.

“Those are canaries,” the man retorts with a raised eyebrow. “Are you sure you know what you’re talking about?”

Abby flashes him a tight smile but doesn’t reply. Instead, she continues to walk, fingers trailing across cages.

“Do you even have lovebirds?” He presses after a couple of seconds.

“Of course we have lovebirds, but are you sure that you don’t want to see a canary?” She challenges him as they come to a halt next to another cage.

“Alright. Let me see one then,” he retorts while holding out his hand, a sly smile on his face.

He might think that he has the upper hand, but Abby is not about to back down. Fighting back a wave of nervousness, she gingerly opens the cage and puts a hand inside as she tries to catch one of the canaries.

After trying for a couple of painstakingly minutes and feeling her cheeks starting to burn, she finally manages to capture one, barely suppressing an exclamation of excitement. But as she pulls her hand out of the cage, the bird somehow escapes her grasp.

“Oh no,” she mutters while raising her hands in the air, trying to catch the canary.

The man crosses his arms while observing her antics with a smirk, offering no help at all.

To add to her embarrassment Mrs. MacGruder picks this moment to come back. She immediately spots the bird and joins in with Abby’s attempts to catch it. Both women stop and stare when the canary settles down on the counter. Before either of them can move, the man swiftly places his hat on top of the bird, effectively trapping it.

As much as Abby appreciates him catching the bird, she does absolutely not are for the conceited smirk he throws her way.

Holding the bird in his hand, the man opens the cage and lets it free. “Back into your cage you go Abigail Walters.”

At the mention of her name, her eyes widen in shock. “What did you just say?”

“I was merely drawing a parallel Miss Walters,” the man points out.

“How do you know my name?”

“A little bird told me,” he replies, the smirk still annoyingly in place. “Goodbye Miss Walters, madam,” he greets them with a bow before putting his hat on.

Abby swiftly halts his retreat. “Wait a minute. I don’t know you.”

“But I know you.”

“How?”

“We met in court,” he smugly and not to mention rather mysteriously retorts.

With a slight frown, Abby wrecks her brain. Whatever was he talking about? In court? She was positive she had never met him. Besides, there’s no way she’d ever forget such deep brown eyes.

“Let me rephrase that. I saw you in court. You ended up there after one of your practical jokes,” he clarifies, putting a heavy emphasis on the word joke - making it perfectly clear how immature he found her jokes to be. “The judge should have put you behind bars.”

“What are you? A policeman?” She asks with a tilt of her head.

“I merely believe in the law, Miss Walters. I’m not too keen on practical jokers,” he gravely replies.

“So why pretend to buy a pair of lovebirds then? You knew I didn’t work here, you deliberately lied to me,” she accuses him.

“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong. I do want to buy lovebirds. I simply wanted to let you feel how it was to be on the other side of a practical joke. Not so funny now, is it?” He states while leaning closer, well into her personal space.

“You’re a louse,” Abby snaps.

Smirking, he leans back. “That I most certainly am. Good day again Miss Walters.”

As he walks away, Abby can’t help but call out. “I’m glad you didn’t get your birds.”

“Oh, I’ll find something else. I’ll see you in court,” he chuckles with a tip of his hat before leaving the store.

_What an infuriating man._

“Who was that man?” she asks, turning towards the shop's owner.

“I have no idea,” Mrs. MacGruder replies.

An idea forming in her head, Abby rushes out of the store just in time to catch the number plate of the man’s car.

One way or another she’ll find out who is and then she’ll make him pay for making fun of her. She’ll show him what an actual practical joke looks like.

Entering the store once more, she walks back to the counter. “Do you have any lovebirds?”

“No, but I can order some?” Mrs. MacGruder offers.

“That would be splendid.”

“What about your other bird?”

“Oh, that one can wait. This one is a surprise,” she smirks.

_A surprise indeed. That’ll show him to mock her._

* * *

A ding announces the elevator’s arrival on the seventh floor. Picking up the cage containing a pair of lovebirds she casually steps into the hallway and makes her way over to number 708. Stopping in front of the door, she gently settles the cage down before retrieving an envelope from her purse and lying it on top of the cage.

Just as she walks away one of the neighbors stops her.

“I’m sorry Miss, but are those birds for Mr. Kane?”

“Yes, they are.”

The man nods. “I thought so. The thing is, Mr. Kane is out and he won’t be back until Monday. He went to visit his family in Bodega Bay. I’d suggest caring for them, but I’m going out as well,” the neighbor explains before entering his apartment.

Sparing the cage a fleeting glance, Abby sighs as she picks it up again. “Looks like we’re going to go on a little road trip.”

Before long she’s sitting in her car - the birds nestled on the floor in front of the passenger’s seat - riding along the seaside, enjoying the sun shining down on her face while humming along to the radio. The sixty miles drive passes much quicker than expected and just as her favorite song comes on, a small town rises up in front of her.

It’s a dreary looking town, vastly different from the vibrant city she left earlier.

As Abby drives into town she notices the post office to her right, so she makes a sharp turn and parks in front of the office, acutely aware of the many stares which are directed at her. Ignoring them, she enters the store and flashes a friendly smile to the older man behind the counter.

“Good day sir. I’m looking for Mr. Marcus Kane. Do you know where I could find him?”

“Yes, of course. He lives across the bay.”

“Where exactly?”

The man sighs before coming out from behind his counter, stepping outside and pointing.

“Do you see where I’m pointing at? Those two trees? It’s the white house. Mrs. Vera Kane, his mother, lives there with her daughter. You just follow the bay and you’ll end up at their front door,” the man explains.

“Hmm, is there a way I could go to the house without them knowing? I want to surprise them you see.”

The man frowns, looking unsure in how far he can trust her, but in the end, he shrugs. “You could hire a boat at the Tides restaurant over here,” he states while gesturing towards a building. “I can make the reservations for you if you like.”

Abby offers him a smile. “Why thank you. I’d appreciate that.”

“Normally the boat should be ready in 20 min.”

“Thank you again.”

As she turns to leave the office, a thought occurs her, “Oh, before I go, do you know the name of Marcus’ sister?”

“Uhm, I think it’s Alice. But if you want to be sure, you can ask Miss Cartwig, she’s the town’s teacher. You simply have to follow the road, take the first right and it’s the house with the red mailbox. ”

With a tiny smile on her face, Abby leaves the post office.

Her practical joke is well on its way.

After a short drive, Abby arrives at the teacher’s house. Parking her car, she makes her way over to the front door and rings the bell.

“Who is it?” A female voice coming from the garden shouts,

“Me,” Abby jokingly replies.

“And who is me?” the woman replies, a note of amusement clear in her voice.

Abby moves towards the side of the front porch, just in time to see a woman emerging from the backyard.

“Hello, are you Miss Cartwig? My name is Abby Walters. Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you knew the name of the little Kane girl.”

“The girl who lives across the bay? That’s Sophie Kane.” Miss. Cartwig states while lighting a cigarette before offering her one.

Abby accepts it with a grateful smile. “The man in the post office was adamant that her name was Alice.”

The teacher shakes her head. “And that’s why the post in this town never ends up at the right house.”

“So how do you know Sophie?” She adds after taking another drag from her cigarette.

“I don’t,” Abby admits.

“Ah, I see,” the other woman exclaims, as a strange emotion flickers across her face, but before Abby can examine it, she has turned her head. “Are you a friend of Marcus then?”

Intrigued by the teacher’s change in demeanor, she replies. “No, not really.”

“Hmm. Are you staying long?” Miss. Cartwig presses before chuckling. “I apologise. Why am I even asking these things? It’s none of my business.”

”Oh, I don’t mind honestly,” Abby reassures her. “But no, I won’t be staying long. As a matter of fact, I need to get going. Thank you for the information.”

As Abby starts to walk back to her car, Miss. Cartwig follows.

“Did you drive from San Francisco?”

“I did.”

“Is that where you met Marcus?”

Again a peculiar look passes the woman’s face, causing Abby to halt. “As a matter of fact, yes.”

“I guess that’s where everyone meets Marcus,” Miss Cartwig mysteriously replies before leaning over the side of the car, finally noticing the birds. “Oh pretty. What are they?”

“They’re lovebirds.”

That reply earns her a raised eyebrow and a tiny smirk. “I see. Well, good luck Miss Walters.”

“Why thank you.”

With a final smile, Abby starts her engine and drives off, missing the thoughtful look Miss Cartwig throws her way.

Ten minutes later she has parked her car in front of the harbor and with the cage in her right hand, she makes her way up the docks. The sound of seagulls accompanying her.

Stopping in front of her man, she clears her throat. “I’m sorry, do you have a boat for Miss Walters?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the fisherman replies. “It’s the one down below.”

“Hmm,” she hums as she takes a glance at the small motorboat. “Thank you, that’ll have to do.”

Abby’s in luck, the water is calm and there’s only a slight breeze. When the dock of the Kanes home comes into view, she shuts the engine off and starts to paddle. She’s come so far. It would be a shame to spoil her joke by getting caught in the boat.

As swift as possible, Abby ties the boat up and starts to make her way towards the house, making sure that nobody spots her. To her surprise but also glee she finds the front door unlocked. Ever so quietly she opens the door and enters the house. She then walks down the hallway until she walks into the living room and puts the cage down on a couch. Leaving behind a letter for Sophie and with one final glance around the house, Abby turns and leaves with an almost imperceptible skip to her step, pleased that her payback is almost finished.

She has only just untied the boat when she notices a man approaching the house. With a gasp she lies flat down in the boat, her eyes just peering over the edge. When the man runs out of the house and starts to frantically look for an intruder she can’t help but giggle.

But her laughter stops abruptly when the man stops and throws a glance towards the water. Realising that she’s been caught, she ducks down even further in the boat, but the man disappears into the house again. Confused by his action, Abby doesn’t start the start engine – even though she should probably leave, the job was done after all – but for some reason, she wants to see what he’s planning to do next.

Soon enough the man’s back in front of the house – with what she assumes a pair of binoculars – and knowing that she’s been caught, Abby sits up and gives him a short wave before starting the engine and steering the boat towards the town.

Marcus watches the boat disappear with a stunned expression, but after a while, it transforms into an amused smirk.

 _That woman._ Of course,  _she_ would make a sixty miles journey just to get back at him for teasing her.

With a chuckle, he jumps into his car, dropping the binoculars onto the seat next to him before starting to drive towards town as well. After being rather lax with the speed limits, Marcus manages to arrive at the harbor before she does. Casually leaning against a pole, he watches her approach the docks with a grin plastered on his face.

Abby’s so focused on steering the boat that she doesn’t see the seagull approaching her from her right.

“Aah,” she screams as the bird’s beak picks at her forehead before flying away. Touching her head, she’s shocked to feel something wet and when she brings her fingers into her eyesight, she notices that it’s blood.

Seeing the bird attack, Marcus cries out – Miss Walters – before leaning down and helping her tie the boat to the dock.

“Are you alright?” he asks, worry evident in his voice.

“Yes – yes, I think so. I just have no idea why the bird attacked me,” she replies, looking a bit taken aback by the event and still covering the wound.

“Neither have I. This is the first time I’ve seen a seagull act like that,” he acknowledges before lending her his hand and guiding her out of the boat.

“Miss Walters, you’re bleeding,” Marcus exclaims before reaching out as his hand gently brushes away some strands of hair until he’s able to take a closer look at the wound.

“I’m fine, honestly,” Abby tries to brush it off, while stubbornly ignoring the way his close proximity and the smell of his cologne is affecting her.

“Yes, I can see that by the blood running down your forehead,” Marcus scoffs before taking a hanker chief from his pocket and brushing away some blood. “Please Miss Walters, let me clean the wound. I assure you that it won’t take long.”

She already has her mouth slightly opened to refuse, but there’s something about his worried gaze that keeps her silent before giving him a nod.

“Alright, thank you.”

With a small smile, he turns her towards the restaurant, his right hand resting on her lower back - the heat of his touch burning through her coat and blouse.

“Come on then,” he softly murmurs before wrapping an arm around her waist and letting her lean on him.

She catches another sniff of his cologne, which does not to help her already swimming head. Nor does the feel of his firm chest.

Marcus for his part tries to ignore the way her breasts are pressed against his side, the feel of her hair brushing against his jaw or the smell of her perfume.

As they enter the restaurant, it feels as if every pair of eyes is turned towards them. Before Abby has the time to feel self-conscious she’s already been ushered over to a table while a man, presumably the owner rushes over after having spotted the blood.

“Marcus, is everything alright? Do I need to call a doctor?”

“Hi Jacopo, no there’s no need for that, the wound isn’t too deep. Miss Walters here simply hit her head,” Marcus reassures the man before asking for some rubbing alcohol and cotton.

Abby’s still slightly dazed from the attack when she sees him leaning over her. Instinctively she backs away. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m simply going to clean your wound. Wouldn’t want it to get infected now do we?” he tries to soothe her while gently wiping away the remaining blood.

“Besides if I do something you can always sue me, I’m used to it, being a lawyer and all,” he quips with a wink.

“You’re a lawyer?” Abby asks, even though it doesn’t surprise her. He certainly looks like a lawyer with his suits, hair and  _I’m better than everybody else_ attitude.

“That’s right. Now, what are you doing in Bodega Bay?”

She decides the ignore the question to pose one of her own. “What kind of lawyer?”  

“Criminal.”

_Of course._

“Is that why you want to see everybody behind bars?” She inquires.

“Not everybody Miss Walters,” he smartly replies while finishing cleaning the scratch.

“Hmm, only violators and practical jokers right?”

“That’s right,” he smirks before straightening his posture and giving Sinclair the remaining pieces of cotton and the bottle of rubbing alcohol back.

“So would you mind telling me what you’re doing up here?”

She raises an eyebrow. “Didn’t you see the lovebirds? I initially wanted to leave a letter for you behind as well, but I decided against it.” 

He smiles at her. “They were difficult to ignore, but that’s not what I meant. Did you make the long journey from San Francisco just to bring me a pair of lovebirds?”

At his smugness, Abby huffs. “Of course not, I didn’t bring them for _you_ , but for your sister. You did say it was her birthday.”

“Hmm,” he hums, clearly not believing a word that has come out of her mouth.

“Besides, I already made plans to come to Bodega Bay this weekend. So your sister just got lucky that her birthday falls on the same weekend,” she explains in a matter of fact tone.

“Did you now?” He asks while crossing his arms.

“I certainly did. I’m supposed to meet up with an old friend of mine. You might know her? She’s one of the local teachers, Callie Cartwig?” Abby states, unable to suppress a feeling of elation at the momentary lapse in aloofness of the man in front of her.

Unfortunately, he quickly recovers.

“Oh, I know absolutely know her. Some might say,  _intimately_ ,” he retorts with a sly twinkle in his eyes. “Who would have thought that you two knew each other. What a small world we live in.”

“Small indeed,” she agrees.

“But in all seriousness now,” Marcus continues while sitting down across from her,  “There’s no need to be coy about it. We both know that you came to Bodega Bay to see me. Not to bring Sophie lovebirds and especially not to see your  _old_ friend Miss Cartwig.”

Abby scoffs while mirroring his posture and crossing her arms as well. “And what possible reason would I have to see  _you_  of all people?”

“You tell me. You certainly went through a lot of trouble to find out who I was and where I lived. You must really like me,” Marcus counters as he leans closer.

That statement earns him an eye roll.  “I’m glad to hear that you’re one of the  _modest_ lawyers. But I have to disappoint you. Finding out who you were was no trouble at all.  I merely called my father’s newspaper and they told me all about you.”

“As for your other accusation”, she continues, leaning even closer until their faces are merely an inch apart. “I absolutely loathe you. You have no manners, are arrogant, conceited, you walk around like you own everything - do I need to go on?”

Abby had fully expected for him to get irritated or perhaps even angry, but the man simply continues to smirk at her. As if he’s amused by her. 

They’re both staring each other when the door of the restaurant opens.

“Marcus?”

As they turn their heads they watch how an older woman enters. When she spots Marcus, a broad smile appears on her face before she starts to make her way over to their table.

“I thought I saw your car. What are you doing in town?”

“Oh, I had to sign for a rather special delivery,” Marcus answers while rising from his seat and giving the woman a kiss on the cheek. “Mother, I’d like you to meet Miss Abigail Walters. Miss Walters, this is my mother, Mrs. Vera Kane.”

“How do you do Mrs. Kane?” Abby greets the woman while rising from her seat as well

“Oh, do call me Vera dear,” Vera warmly replies before surprising her and enveloping her in a brief hug.

Marcus watches the exchange with a fond smile.

“Well, you may call me Abby then,” Abby insists as they break away.

“I hope I’m not being too forward, but are you a friend of Marcus from San Francisco?”

Abby doesn’t know how to reply to his mother’s question, so she remains silent but Marcus quickly intervenes, clearly taking pity on her.

“Miss Walters was so kind to bring a pair of lovebirds for Sophie’s birthday mother,” he explains.

“Oh, how kind of you dear. Sophie will surely love them,” Vera thanks her.

“It was no problem at all Mrs. Ka- I mean Vera,” she reassures the woman.

“Well, please let me show me our gratitude by inviting you for dinner at our house. You did after all drove all that way to drop off the birds,” His mother suggests.

“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly intrude on your family time like that,” Abby protests, but Vera shakes her head.

“Nonsense, dear. It’s the least I could do. Besides, it’s not every day that I meet a friend of Marcus,” she firmly insists.

Sneaking a glance at the man in question, Abby tries to gauge how he feels about her having dinner with them, but his expression is infuriatingly blank.

Taking a deep breath, she gives Vera a smile. “Alright then, I’d love to have dinner.”

She can be mistaken, but Abby thinks she can spot a look of delighted surprise crossing Marcus’ face.

“Lovely, I’ll pick you up around 6:45 pm,” Marcus proposes, “Where are you staying?”

At the question, Abby can feel a flash of panic. Where will she be staying? She really didn’t think that far ahead after she lied to Marcus about staying the weekend.

Clearing her throat, she hopes her voice wouldn’t betray her. “With Callie of course.”

After letting out a disbelieving snort, Marcus replies.  “Of course. How stupid of me to have forgotten your friendship with Miss Cartwig. But no matter, I simply pick you up at Miss Cartwig’s house then.”

“No,” she blurts out, louder than expected as both Kanes throw her a surprised look. “I mean,” she continues in a softer tone, “Callie might have plans already and I couldn’t’ possibly ask you to pick me up when I’m perfectly able to get there by myself. I’ll make sure I’ll be there around seven.”

“Are you going to rent another boat?”

At his teasing tone, her eyes narrow. “No, I’ll drive this time.”

“Hmm. That might be the safer option,” Marcus states and Abby gives him a tight smile in response, his mother’s presence makes it impossible for her to react in her preferred way. 

“Right dear, I’ll see you at seven then,” Vera announces.

After exchanging their goodbye’s, both Kanes leave the restaurant and as the door fall shut, Abby lets herself drop back into her chair.

“What the hell have I gotten myself into?”

Taking a deep breath, Abby knocks on the door. Entering the house without permission for a second time today doesn’t seem like the best way to go. When there’s no reply, she feels herself getting nervous, but then there’s the sound of several voices coming from the side of the house. Making her way over, she observes how the Kanes are all walking towards her.

Feeling slightly self-conscious, she gives them a small wave. “Hello.”

“Oh hello,” the girl – Sophie calls out before running over.

The girl runs up the stairs and promptly gives Abby a hug, which seems to a habit for the female part of the Kane family.

“Thank you so much for the birds, Miss Walters. They’re beautiful.”

“You’re welcome Sophie,” Abby answers with a smile. There’s something about this young and vibrant girl that warms her heart.

It doesn’t take long before Vera and Marcus come to a halt next to them. 

“So Callie didn’t have any plans did she?” Marcus can’t help but tease.

“No she hadn’t,” comes her curt reply.

“Well, more luck for us then, don’t you agree with Sophie?” Vera announces before linking her arm through Abby’s and moving towards the front door.

“Absolutely mother.”

Marcus offers his arm towards his sister in an overly dramatic manner, eliciting a giggle from her before giving him a curtsy and accepting his arm.

“Oh, Marcus could you offer Abby something to drink? I’m going give Fred a quick call,” Vera mentions as they enter the living room and Daisy settles down on the sofa.

“Mother why? I’m sure it’s nothing you should worry about,” he replies, his tone filled with exasperated fondness.

“Marcus you know as well as I do that if chickens refuse to eat, something’s wrong. And since Fred sold me the food, he might have an idea about what’s wrong with it.”

“Alright, you go call Fred then,” Marcus concedes with a good-natured roll of his eyes.

“Mother’s very fond of her chickens,” he whispers conspiratorially in her ear.

“I can tell,” Abby whispers back with a smile.

Marcus dutifully accepts her coat before offering her a drink and they’re just settled down when his mother enters the room again and she's looking slightly concerned.

“Fred told me something strange. The chickens on the Fawchett farm refuse to eat as well. And no, before you ask, Fred sold him a different type of grains. So it can’t be that.” Vera recounts while accepting a glass and sitting down as well.

“That is rather peculiar,” Marcus mentions.

“Hmm, it is. Well, there’s nothing that can be done about it right now. I better go and check on dinner.”

“I’ll help you mother,” Marcus offers while rising from his position on the sofa.

“Miss Walters, do you play the piano?” Sophie asks, taking her by surprise.

“I learned how to as a young girl, but I’m not as good as I’d like to be,” Abby confesses.

“Oh, I’m sure you’re a wonderful player. Please play a song for me,” the young girl pleads.

Abby’s hesitant, but after taking one glance at Sophie’s beaming smile she can feel herself giving in. “Alright then,” she agrees before setting her glass down on the coffee table and moving towards the piano.

“So how did you know I wanted lovebirds?” Sophie asks as she takes a seat on the chair standing next to the piano.

“Your brother told me,” Abby informs her as the first notes of music fill the air.

“How do you know him? Have long have you known him? Did you meet at his job? He’s a lawyer you know.”

“Sophie, it isn’t polite to interrogate our guest like that. It seems like your brother is rubbing off on you,” Vera gently admonishes her daughter who has the decency to look at least mildly chastised.

“Oh, that’s alright Vera. I don’t mind,” Abby laughs. “As for your question young lady,” she addresses Sophie with a mock glare. “I did meet your brother in San Fransisco, yesterday and in a pet shop actually.”

Sophie looks pleased with her reply. “Oh, before I forget to ask, are you coming to my birthday party tomorrow? Please say you are. Mother even baked a cake!”

“Oh, I don’t know Sophie. I really should get back home,” Abby starts to explain, but the girl cuts her off.

“Don’t you like us?”

“Of course I do darling.”

“Well, that settles it. You’re coming,” Sophie announces with a nod, sounding very final.

Laughing, Abby shakes her head, Sophie really did take after her brother in terms of stubbornness. “I guess I am,” she finally says and she receives a big smile in response.

Vera has watched the interaction before walking back into the kitchen, where Marcus is putting the finishing touches on dinner.

“Miss Walters is very charming don’t you think so?” She starts in an almost casual manner, but Marcus isn’t fooled by it.

“Hmm.”

“And she’s very attractive too,” she tries again.

“If you say so.”

“Marcus!”

“ _Mother_ ” he retorts, mimicking her voice which earns him a gentle swat on the arm.

“So I overheard her telling Sophie how you two met. You just met her yesterday in a pet shop?”

“I did.”

“And yet she drove all the way over here with a gift for your sister, whom I might add she has never met?” his mother urges him.

Marcus leans against the counter with a smirk. “And here I thought I was the only one who went to law school.”

“Don’t tease your mother Marcus. I’m just curious that’s all. You know I’ve seen her name in the newspapers. In a couple of columns actually. Apparently, she jumped into a fountain in Rome last summer,” she brings up in an almost throwaway manner.

“I didn’t take you for someone who reads - and most importantly - believes gossip columns,” Marcus states, his tone slightly disapproving.

“I didn’t say that I believed them, dear, simply that her name has appeared in several articles. I mention it because - even if none of it is true - Abby Walters is nothing like any woman you’ve brought home so far.”

“I’d like to point out that I - in fact - did _not_ bring her home, but that _she_ drove out here on her own volition. Also, you’re making it sound as if I bring home another woman every single weekend while we all know that only happened once,” Marcus interjects, but his mother simply continues.

“I do know that dear. I’m merely stating that Miss Walters seems to be much more opinionated and spirited than any other woman you’ve been interested in so far. Which, I might add, might be a good thing for you. To have someone who challenges you and isn’t afraid of announcing her opinion.”

“Oh, trust me, she definitely isn’t afraid in that aspect,” he mutters, more to himself but his mother still catches the soft admission.

“Anyhow, I’m sure I’ll be able to handle someone like Abby Walters, mother.”

Vera cups her son’s cheek with a smirk, “I wouldn’t be too sure about that dear.”

Realising that his mother won’t believe him denying it - hell he doesn’t know if even he would believe it - Marcus simply leans over and presses a soft kiss on his mother’s cheek.

“Let’s eat shall we?”

* * *

When Abby announces that it’s getting late and she should probably head back to the town, Marcus insists on walking her to her car - even though she assures him that she was more than capable of walking those few meters on her own. But he wouldn’t back down, so after saying goodbye to Vera and Sophie - with hugs and after putting on her coat they make their way towards her car.

“Will I be seeing you again?” He asks while Abby opens her car door.

“Haven’t you heard? Your sister practically ordered me to attend her birthday party tomorrow,” she informs him with a smile.

“Did she now? That’s quite fortunate.”

“Hmm.”

“And after tomorrow? Will I see you then?”

Abby gives him a confused look, not understanding why he’s so keen on seeing her again. Their interactions so far made her think that he didn’t particularly like her, or that he at least found her frustrating.

“I don’t know. San Fransisco is a long way from here.”

“It’s a good thing that I’m in San Francisco five days a week then. With, I might add, a lot of spare time on my hands. Perhaps we could go swimming or something. My mother tells me that you like to swim,” he suggests with a glint in his eyes.

Abby frowns. “How does your mother know what I like or don’t like to do?”

“Well, when it’s printed in newspapers it is something that’s difficult to miss,” he points out and to his surprise and confusion Abby’s face becomes serious and closed off.

Breaking eye contact, she fiddles her with her car key. “Ah, Rome. For your information, I was pushed into that fountain. A fact the newspapers ever so conveniently left out of their articles. And before you ask, _yes_ I was still fully clothed. Although I’ve read articles stating otherwise. Which is understandable I guess. The story of a young woman, who’s slightly intoxicated stripping down and jumping into a fountain during broad daylight is more much scandalous - not to mention sensational - than the actual truth.”

“So what you’re saying is that you’re simply a poor, innocent victim of circumstances?” He presses and Abby snaps her head up, fire burning in her eyes.

“I never claimed to be poor nor innocent. The newspapers publishing those stories were rivals of my father’s. They wanted to discredit him and sell more copies. What did they care that it were blatant lies?”, she bites out before huffing and shaking her head. “Why am I even explaining myself? And to you of all people. I don’t owe you anything. Goodnight Mr. Kane,” she brusquely states before sliding into her car.

Marcus has no idea how they went from bantering to this - he doesn’t understand where he went wrong, but he doesn’t want the conversation to end just yet.

“Do you really know Callie Cartwig?”

Whatever Abby had expected to come out of his mouth - if she had expected anything at all, it most certainly wasn’t this. Debating how to proceed, the thought of lying crosses her mind, but it’s late, she’s annoyed and in no mood to be mocked because it’s abundantly clear that Marcus knows that she lied earlier. Why he had allowed it, she doesn’t know, but at this moment she doesn’t particularly care either.

“No. At least I didn’t before coming to Bodega Bay,” she admits.

“So you didn’t go to school together?” Marcus presses, even though the answer is obvious.

“No.”

“And you didn’t come up here to see her either.”

He’s clearly playing some kind of game with her, asking her questions as if she’s a suspect and he’s the lawyer.

“How could I possibly visit a woman I had no idea existed until earlier today?” She snaps back, not interested in dumbly playing along.

“So you admit that you lied to me?”

“Yes. Do you want a written confession as well?”

At her sarcastic suggestion, he smirks and shakes his head. “That won’t be necessary. Simply tell me why you lied.”

“Why do even care? Isn’t this what you wanted? Me admitting that I lied? Proving that you were right all along?” She retorts while slamming the door closed.

Marcus immediately bends and leans on the door.

“I just want to know what possessed you to lie.”

“I –”

“What happened to the letter?”

Now Abby’s entirely confused. “What letter?”

“Earlier today you mentioned that you wrote me a letter. What happened to it?”

“I tore it up.”

“Why?”

“Because it seemed silly.”

Marcus chuckles. “You’re telling me that driving sixty miles to deliver a pair of lovebirds to a young girl you’ve never met just to get back at me for teasing you seemed like a great idea, but writing a letter to me is silly?” He asks, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Yes.”

It’s all she has to say about it. Daring him to press further she gives him a stern look.

“Alright, alright,” he raises his hands in a surrender before continuing, “I still would like to see you again.”

“Why would you possibly want to see me again?”

“It might be fun.”

“Fun?”

“Yes. I think we could have a great time together,” he whispers in a low voice before leaning closer. His eyes briefly drop towards her lips.

Abby’s breath catches in her throat. They’re so close she can feel his breath caressing her skin.

It would be so easy to close the distance between them. To lean in and brush her lips against his. To find out if they’re as soft as they look like. To discover if he’ll taste like the scotch he consumed earlier in the evening.

But she can’t.

Clearing her head, she mutters a goodnight before starting the engine and racing off, into the night, her tires screeching.

A befuddled Marcus watches her retreat. He can’t help but feel disappointed at the abruptness of how she had ended the conversation. He could have sworn she was going to kiss him. As he turns to get back into the house a sound catches his attention. Turning his gaze towards the sky he notices at least two dozen of crows, sitting on the electric wires. Not giving it any further thought, he throws one final glance towards the road before entering his house.

His mother might be right after all.

The drive towards Callie’s house passes a haze. Before Abby knows it, the house with the red mailbox comes into view. Noticing the light that’s still burning in the living room she realises that she’s into for another conversation she’d rather not have at all. With a final sigh, Abby walks up to the front door and gently opens it before entering the house. She immediately spots Callie sitting on the sofa with a glass of wine and a book perched on her lap.

“Evening. I do hope you didn’t stay up for me?” She asks while divesting herself of her coat and gloves.

“Oh no, I simply couldn’t’ sleep. Are you alright Miss Walters? You seem a bit flustered,” Callie points out.

Her hands immediately cover her cheeks and they do feel a tad warm.

“It’s just the wind. Nothing to worry about,” she reassures the other woman, but she can tell Callie doesn’t entirely believe her.

Thankfully the woman doesn’t press any further. “Would you like some wine?”

“Yes please.”

As Callie hands her a glass she can’t help but ask. “So how was your night at the Kane household?”

“It was fine. They’re a lovely family,” Abby replies before taking a sip of wine. She’s being deliberately vague, hoping to get to know more about the teacher’s history with Marcus.

“They sure are.”

Both women sip from their glasses in complete silence, but after a couple of seconds, Abby’s curiosity gets the best of her.

“If you don’t mind me asking, but how do you know the Kanes?”

“Ah,” Callie smiles, before averting her eyes and focussing on the wall behind Abby, “I met Marcus in San Francisco a couple of years ago. We got along and after a while, he invited me to come along on his weekly trip to Bodega. And I just stayed I guess.”

“I see.”

“Oh don’t worry Miss Walters. Whatever small thing we had ended years ago. It’s just, this town grew on me and I didn’t want to lose his friendship.”

“There’s no need to explain Miss Cartwig,” Abby reassures the other woman. “There’s absolutely nothing between Mr. Kane and me.”

“If you say so,” Callie replies, but she doesn’t sound entirely convinced.

“Well, if you’ll excuse me. It’s been a tiring day. I’m going to get ready for bed. Goodnight,” Abby proclaims before draining glass and rising from her chair.

“Goodnight.”

Just before Abby starts to walk the stairs there’s a loud bang against the door, frightening both women.

“What could that possibly be?”

“I don’t’ know,” Callie replies while rising from her seat. “Hello? Is someone there?” she calls out.

When there’s no reply she carefully opens the door, only to gasp when she spots a dead seagull laying on the porch. “Oh, poor thing. Must have gotten lost in the dark.”

“But it’s a full moon,” Abby wonders as she comes to a halt next to her.

“Oh, you’re right,” Callie agrees as she turns towards her, “Whatever could have possessed the bird to fly into the door then?”

“I don’t know Callie, I don’t know,” Abby murmurs while remembering her earlier encounter with a gull. “But whatever it was, it can’t be anything good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and/or kudos are much appreciated. Here's a little teaser for the next chapter:
> 
> “I’ve got a bad feeling about this. First, the birds acting strange, seemingly attacking us for no reason and now this accident? That can’t be a coincidence,” Abby states.  
> “I agree with you. Something strange is going on.”  
> “Please be careful Marcus. I – just come back safely,” she whispers while averting her eyes.  
> “Careful Abby, some people might think you care for me,” he teases, but in truth, his heart was racing at the thought that it might be true.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I KNOW I said that this was only going to be a two chapters story, but I mean it's more Kabby so that can't be bad??!!!

“Oh, Miss Walters, you came,” Sophie exclaims, jumping up from her chair before running towards her and engulfing her in another hug.

“I promised that I would, didn’t I. Happy birthday,” she replies while returning the hug with just as much enthusiasm as the young girl.

Meeting Marcus’ gaze over Sophie’s head, their eyes lock and in an instant memories of last night resurface. How close they’d been, the way his eyes had flickered towards her lips, her sudden urge to trace his lips with her own. She can feel the blood rushing to her cheeks as his gaze darkens.

When Sophie breaks away from the embrace she turns towards Callie who had come along and drags the teacher towards her friends, leaving Abby and Marcus of them in a somewhat awkward situation. Neither of them knows how to address the other.

In the end, Abby offers him a polite smile which he returns with a small tilt of his head.

“Ah Abby, how delightful to see you again, wouldn’t you agree, Marcus?” Vera exclaims while giving her a brief hug and a kiss on the cheek, effectively breaking through the awkwardness.

“Good to see you too Vera,” she sincerely replies, averting her eyes towards the ground when Marcus mumbles - _it most certainly is_.

The older woman seems to pick up the odd tension because she links her arm through one of Abby’s. “I was wondering if you might want to assist me with cutting the cakes and bringing out the plates.”

“Oh, of course.”

“Splendid. Thank you, dear,” Vera utters with a grateful squeeze of her hand.

As both women make their way towards the house, arms still linked, Marcus can’t help but let his eyes follow their retreat. There’s something about seeing his mother talking to and laughing with Abby that feels _right_.

_Jesus Marcus, calm down. You’re running way ahead of yourself, you’ve only met her two days ago. You don’t even know if she likes you. You seriously need a drink._

With a shake of his head, he walks towards the table with the refreshments and pours himself a glass of champagne. His sister’s laughter draws her attention and he watches fondly how she’s ripping her presents open. From the corner of his left eye he sees his mother bringing out the cake before placing it on a nearby table. When Abby however, doesn’t appear from the house as well, he gets confused.

_Whatever was she still doing?_

But before he can ask anything, his mother beats him to it.

“Marcus dear, could you get me some extra napkins? Do bring Miss Walters along. She insisted on doing some dishes even though I insisted that it wasn’t necessary.  Oh, and don’t forget the coffee, I’m sure it’ll will be done by now.”

There are at least thirty napkins on the table, which is more than enough. Why would she ask him to bring -  _ah_.

_How subtle._

“Of course mother,” he answers while giving her a look which clearly means _I know exactly what you’re doing._

Vera merely smiles back with a twinkle in her eyes. Rolling his eyes at his mother’s antics Marcus walks towards the house.

When Abby hears footsteps approaching she assumes it’s Vera so she continues to wash the dishes.

“The coffee’s nearly done Vera,” she says without turning around.

“Mother will be pleased.”

Not having expected it to be Marcus, Abby jumped a little and accidentally drops a mug back into the water causing water and foam to splash around. “Oh, my goodness.”

“I’m sorry Miss Walters. I didn’t mean to startle you,” Marcus apologises while offering her a towel.

“Somehow I find that difficult to believe,” she retorts, causing him to chuckle.

“Hmm.”

He doesn’t offer a further explanation but simply leans against the cabinet while Abby dries the remaining mugs.

“I couldn’t help but notice that Callie accompanied you,” Marcus murmurs.

“How astute of you. I can see why you’re a lawyer,” she replies, her tone laced with heavy sarcasm but he chooses to ignore the slight dig.

“I hope it wasn’t awkward between you two ladies.”

“Not at all. You could say we found a common interest.”

“Oh really? Do tell,” he inquires, sounding genuinely interested. When Abby gives him a particular look, making it obvious just _who_ their common interest is, his eyes widen.

“Ah,” he clears his throat, “I don’t know if I should be flattered or insulted that you described me as an interest.”

“You really are full of yourself aren’t you? By immediately assuming that we would be discussing you,” Abby scoffs, but the words aren’t uttered with any malice.

“Am I incorrect then?”

“No, but you could have been less self-satisfied about it,” she comments. “Besides you don’t even know what we exactly discussed, so I think it would be wiser if you didn’t flatter yourself too much.”

“That does sound rather ominous.”

“Well, that entirely depends on whatever you think we might have said. If you have a clear conscience then you don’t have anything to fear,” she teasingly states.

Just as he opens his mouth - probably to give some witty remark - his mother enters the kitchen. Who’s looking rather disappointed that she didn’t interrupt anything.

“The coffee’s just done mother,” he says while flashing her a smile.

“Looks like I have impeccable timing then,” Vera retorts, “Why don’t I take care of the coffee so you can take Abby for a walk? You should show her the view from the hilltop.”

“Well, Miss Walters, what do you say? Would you care for a walk?” He asks, an eyebrow raised in a rather suggestive manner.

“I’d like that.”

“Wonderful.”

He bestows on her his usual smirk, but instead of the usual stab of irritation, Abby feels now a flutter of excitement in the pit of her stomach.

“Please follow me.”

After Marcus pours them both a glass of scotch, they make their way towards the garden, while passing the playing children. Callie throws her a meaningful look and a small smile before being roped back into the game by Sophie and her friends.

With his hand resting on her lower back, Marcus guides her up to the hill. Naturally, she’s more than capable of walking alone and yet she welcomes his touch, this act of unexpected assistance.

The top of the hill is covered with sand and Abby briefly struggles with the inevitable discomfort of sand getting in her shoes before Marcus extends his arm. Giving him a grateful smile, she grabs his arm - leaning on it, while slipping out of her heels, letting them fall onto the soft ground.

Her toes instinctively curl into the warmish sand. It’s a sensation she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Abby has always enjoyed going to the beach, whether it was to sunbathe or have a stroll, there was something about the feel of sand beneath her feet and the smell of the ocean that made her feel at peace.

Since she has closed her eyes to soak in the sun, Abby misses the way Marcus is drinking her in. How his gaze flickers across her face, taking in every little detail, committing it to memory. How the sun seems to caress her face, highlighting her cheekbones or how it makes her hair look golden. Or how the slight breeze causes tendrils of hair to move against her cheeks.

_She’s magnificent._

“Do you want to stay for dinner again? There are still plenty of leftovers from last night,” he can’t help but blurt out, inwardly cringing at how desperate he sounds.

Opening her eyes, Abby turns her head, taken aback by the slight blush on his cheeks.

“That’s kind of you, but I really should get back to the city. I have to get to work tomorrow morning.”

“You have a job?”

At his incredulous tone, her eyes narrow in annoyance. “There’s no need to sound quite so stunned, but yes. I have several jobs actually.”

Intrigued, he presses further. “What is it that you do?”

“Well, I do different things on different days. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I work for the traveller’s aid at the airport.”

“Helping travellers?”

That question earns him a sly smirk and Marcus can’t help but imagine how he could earn that same smirk under different circumstances. Preferably with less clothing.

“No, misdirecting them. And here I thought you could read my character, Mr. Kane,” she teases. “On Tuesdays, I take a first aid course and on Thursdays, I have my meeting and lunch.”

“In the underworld, I suppose,” he quips and to his delight, the smirk reappears on her face.

“Even though it hurts to say, I shall have to disappoint you on that one. I’ve actually found an organisation that helps children whose parents are struggling financially, or have other problems, to get an education. You should join one of our meetings,” she declares while brushing some strands of hair behind her ear.

“You see when I went to Rome last summer and especially what happened there, it made me realise that I was drifting. Here I was, in this beautiful city with no plans and lots of money. It was so easy to get lost. And for a while I did. All I did was sleep, drink and party, which is fine for a short period, but it soon loses its charm. So when I came back, I thought that it was time that I - I don’t know found a purpose. There had to be something I could do that would make a difference. And I remembered that my father’s newspaper had recently done a piece on the percentage of American children without an education and the rest is history.”

Once again this woman standing in front of him has managed to surprise him. His initial observation of her as a spoiled rich woman who has never worked a day in her life and spent her days playing practical jokes has been completely flipped upside down. Instead, she’s now kind, witty, frustrating at times, but someone who’s trying. She’s no longer satisfied with the way things were but is actively changing other people’s lives.

Trying to redirect to conversation into a more lighter direction, he asks, “And what about Fridays?”

“Oh, Fridays, now those are free. I sometimes go to pet shops on Fridays,” she murmurs, her eyes locked onto his.

“I’m glad you do. A nice little innocent day,” he utters while taking several steps into her direction, but still keeping a respectable distance between them.

“Oh very. I do on occasion meet new people on those days,” she informs him.

“Do you now? Did you meet anyone interesting recently?” He asks while taking another step forward.

“Well, there was this one guy.....,” Abby starts with a step of her own, well into his personal space.

“Yes?”

“He walked into the shop liked he owned it, with his pressed suit and slicked back hair. He even took me for a shop girl,” she recounts, a tone of mock affront creeping into her voice.

“Did he now? How incredibly rude of him.”

“I thought so too. So I decided to play along with his game. But to tell you a secret, I don’t know much about birds, so I made things up whenever he asked me a question,” Abby admits while stopping right in front of him with barely an inch between their bodies.

“How very cunning of you,” Marcus smirks as his hands come to rest on her waist - the heat of them burning through her clothes - while pulling her closer.

“Hmm,” she hums as one hand finds its place at the nape of his neck and her fingers tangling into his hair while the other one rests against his chest.

“Marcus, I –”

“I know, I feel it too Abby,” he whispers.

Just when their lips are about to touch, screams pierce through the air. Startled, they break apart. Both of their hearts are racing, not only from their close proximity but also with fear.

“My goodness, that sounded like Sophie. Something terrible must be wrong. Come on,” Marcus orders while grabbing her hands, giving her barely the time to pick up her shoes before they start their descent of the hill.

What they see next stops them dead in their tracks.

_There are gulls everywhere._

The sound of their screeches makes their skin crawl. Horrified, Marcus and Abby watch how the birds dive down on the children, their wings flapping while their beaks peck at their arms, face or pull at their hair. The children are crying, trying to outrun the birds as their mothers try their best to protect them. Callie has thrown herself over Sophie and another girl while birds keep diving down at them.

“Marcus, what’s happening?” Abby cries out as she slips her shoes on, her voice shaking with fear.

“I have no idea, but you have to get inside. Get my mother and as many people as you can and hide. I’ll get Callie and Sophie.”

When she doesn’t move, he gives her a gentle yet firm push towards the house. “Go, Abby, I’ll be right behind you!”

Biting her lower lip while giving him a nod, Abby starts to run towards Vera, who’s lying on the ground, doing her best to avoid getting attacked by the gulls. Crouching down, she immediately checks the older woman for injuries.

“Vera, Vera, are you alright?”

She lets out a groan. “I’m alright dear, I simply must have tripped.”

“Alright, let’s get you into the house then.”

“But what about Sophie and her friends? And Marcus?” Vera questions, her body tense with worry.

“Marcus promised me he would get Sophie and Miss Cartwig. I was to make sure you got safely inside,” Abby reassures the woman while helping her stand.

Luckily they’re close to a nearby door and with only a couple of steps Vera’s safe. There are already a couple of people hiding inside, but instead of staying in the house Abby turns around, slips out of her shoes and runs back outside. There are still children that need to get to safety.

Spotting Marcus fighting off gulls to her right, Abby runs towards a table where several children are hiding. Heels ready in her hands she makes her way across the garden. The adrenaline is coursing through her veins as she hits any bird that comes too close and manages to get the children somewhat unharmed into the house. A heartbeat later also Marcus joins them, his clothes torn while carrying a distressed Sophie. Miss Cartwig is swift to follow, her arms wrapped around another girl.

After everyone’s is counted for, mothers start to check if their children are unharmed while Marcus makes sure the doors are all locked.

“Are they gone?” His mother asks while wrapping her arms around her daughter.

Marcus shakes his head while staring out of the window. “No, they’re still flying around. But they seemed to have quietened down though.”

Feeling a bit out of place between mothers, children and even Miss Cartwig, Abby makes her way over to Marcus, who's still standing next to the window.

“Are you alright?” he immediately asks.

She gives him a shaky nod. “I’m fine, just a bit unsettled I guess. How are you?”

As he turns his head, it’s only then that Abby notices a scratch on his cheek, bleeding rather profusely.

“Marcus, you’re bleeding,” she cries out, making sure her voice is muffled so she doesn’t scare the others in the room.

“Oh, it’s nothing serious. Merely a scratch,” he replies, trying to brush it off, but Abby refuses to listen.

“Nonsense. Just yesterday you mentioned how easily scratches could get infected. Please let me clean it.”

Hearing the worry in her voice, Marcus gives her a nod. “Alright, let’s go to the kitchen, there should be some rubbing alcohol in the cabinet above the sink.”

They’ve barely entered the kitchen when Abby steers him towards a chair. “Why don’t you sit down I’ll get everything.”

It doesn’t take long before she has both the rubbing alcohol and some napkins. Sitting down on the side of the table, she turns her body until she’s able to reach his face.

Leaning down, Abby cups his cheek and tries to clean the wound as gently as possible, but Marcus can’t help but wince every time the rubbing alcohol comes into contact with the open wound.

“You’re lucky. The scratch isn’t too deep,” she mutters, her gaze still trained on the wound.

“Well, there goes my dream of having a scar as a reminder of my heroic deed. I’ve been told women like that sort of thing,” he bemoans with a dramatic sigh.

Chuckling, Abby shakes her head in amusement. “I’m sure you’ll have no trouble attracting women without a scar either.”

Her cheeks redden when she realizes what she had inadvertently let slip. Clearing her throat, she refocuses her attention back on his cheek.

“Do you have any idea what’s wrong with the birds?” she questions, trying to steer the conversation away from her revelation.

Marcus lets her deflection slide. “I haven’t. Their behaviour is very odd. I’ve never seen them acting like this.”

“Very odd indeed. This is already the third encounter I’ve had since coming to Bodega Bay,” Abby agrees.

“The third?” he asks, surprise clear in his voice, “There’s the attack today and the gull on the boat yesterday, but when was there a third?”

“Oh, last night at Callie’s. Just before we both went to bed a gull flew into the front door, breaking its neck.”

A calculating look appears on his face, “This no longer can be a coincidence. Three instances in barely 24 hours? Something is going on with these birds. I just hope nobody is going to get hurt.”

Abby wholeheartedly agrees with him. The prospect of such an attack happening again, but this time someone getting seriously hurt, scares her.

“Today is the first time I was scared though. They way those birds repeatedly dove towards the children and pecked at them...” she starts, but she trails off as her voice breaks.

Sensing Abby’s discomfort, he covers the hand still cupping his cheek.

“Abby,” he murmurs, his voice low, catching her attention.

Her eyes flicker towards him and her breath catches in her throat at the intensity in his look.

“Yes?”

“I –” Marcus starts before halting and clearing his throat. “It would make me feel better if you stayed a bit longer, at least until the birds have gone. Please have dinner with us.”

“Oh.”

Abby feels an irrational wave of disappointment flowing over her because for a second she thought he was going to say something else. But she quickly berates herself for that spark of hope.

“Alright then, I’ll stay.”

“Thank you,” he whispers as his thumb caresses her hand. He then abruptly rises from his chair and without saying another word he leaves the kitchen, leaving behind a stunned Abby.

After a couple of minutes trying to wrap her mind around everything that had just happened, Abby heads back into the living room where she’s surprised to see that Callie and the others have already left.

Vera immediately comes over. “Miss Cartwig accompanied some children home, but she asked me to send her regards. Marcus also informed me that you’re staying for dinner?”

“I am,” Abby confirms.

“I’m glad. Are you planning on staying another night at Miss Cartwig’s then?”

“No, I’m not. I really should head back to San Fransicso today.”

“Tonight? With the birds acting so strangely? Are you certain you can’t stay another night? I’d feel much better if I knew you were somewhere safe. If you want you can even spend the night here. We’ve got a spare room you can use,” Vera offers.

When Abby’s hesitant in her reply, Sophie pipes in. “Oh, please do stay Miss Walters. You could play the piano again.”

Still unsure, she shifts her gaze from the young girl to those of Marcus.

“I agree with mother. I’d feel much better if I knew you were safe as well,” he offers.

“Well, when it’s three against one,” she teases. “Alright then, I’ll stay the night.”

Sophie lets out an excited noise while Vera and Marcus exchange a smile.

“Will you play a song?”

“Now?” Abby asks, feeling Marcus’ gaze on her. The previous time she’d played he hadn’t been in the room, but now he is and his presence adds to her nerves.

“Yes! Please, Miss Walters?” Sophie pleads with her big brown eyes and Abby can feel herself giving in.

“Fine, I’ll play,” she concedes and the young girl claps her hands in excitement.

After settling down behind the piano, she takes a deep breath before playing last night’s song as a warm-up, acutely aware of three pairs of eyes focused on her.

She’s in the middle of her second song when Sophie’s lovebirds start to agitatedly chirp, causing her to briefly halt as another sound captures her attention.

“Whatever is the matter with those birds?” Vera wonders from her position on the couch, but Abby’s gaze is focused on a little sparrow next to the fireplace.

A sense of dread overcomes her.

_How did that bird enter the house?_

“Marcus.”

Her concern must bleed through her voice because Marcus instantly follows gaze, his body tensing when he spots the sparrow as well. Before he even has the time to reply a wave of chirping fills the fireplace and within seconds dozens and dozens of sparrows fly into the living room, filling the entire room with their noise, their fluttering wings, and sharp beaks.

They all cry out while trying to cover their eyes and faces with their arms. They can barely see a thing, the room is so filled with birds. Abby immediately wraps Sophie into her arms, trying to shield the girl to the best of her abilities. Vera has managed to duck behind a chair and she’s currently pressed between the chair and a wall.

Through narrowed eyes Abby watches how Marcus is fighting off birds before lifting the coffee table and placing it before the fireplace, effectively blocking the entrance.

However, the sparrows still flying around are now trapped and their screeching gets even louder.

“Abby there’s a door next to the dining table. You take Sophie, I’ll get mother,” he shouts loudly and he’s barely audible over the shrieking of the birds.

“Okay,” she shouts back.

After pulling Sophie more firmly against her chest and covering the girl’s head Abby rushes to the left where the dining area is situated. There’s a momentarily fumble with the door, but eventually she does manage to open the door and the second the doorknob is turned, she and Sophie run outside.

“What about mother? And Marcus?” The girl cries, body shaking with fear.

“I’m sure they’ll be out any second now,” Abby murmurs soothingly, trying to reassure her the best she can.

In truth, she’s as scared as the trembling 11-year old. The longer both Marcus and Vera stay inside, the more Abby starts to panic.

_What if one of them got badly injured and the other person was struggling to get them both to safety? What if they’re both injured and unable to leave the house?_

With every passing second, Abby can feel her anxiety rising, until finally Vera and Marcus rush through the door before slamming it shut. And to be honest she’s feeling so relieved she feels like crying. Sophie breaks away and runs into her mother’s already opened arms. The lack of support causes Abby to stumble but before she can fall two strong arms are wrapped around her waist and she finds herself facing – and pressed against - Marcus’ chest.

“I’ve got you,” he murmurs.

Feeling tears starting to fall, Abby lets herself collapse in his embrace, trusting him to hold her up - which he does.

“What the hell is happening Marcus? Why are those birds attacking us?” She whispers, his shirt balled up in her fists.

“I don’t know Abby, but I guarantee you that I’ll found out,” he promises before pressing a kiss against her hair. 

* * *

 

“That’s a sparrow.”

Marcus has to swallow down a sarcastic remark. “Yes, thank you for that piece of information Jaha, but I do know what kind of bird that is.”

The deputy sheriff merely shrugs. “I’m simply analysing the scene, Marcus. That is my job if you remember. Did you have a light burning?”

“In the chimney?”

“Well, something must have drawn those birds.”

“We always have the lights on during the evening and this has never happened before. Whatever prompted this attack, it wasn’t a lamp,” Marcus states, clearly dismissing Jaha’s theory. “Which brings me to my next question; what are you and the sheriff going to do about it?”

Jaha gives him a confused look. “About what Marcus? I don’t quite understand. The birds are gone now,” he points out while gesturing towards the now empty living room.

“Yes, I can see that, but Thelonius  you can hardly claim that this is normal behaviour. They attacked us with any warning or reason. Earlier today we had a party for Sophie’s birthday and suddenly gulls attacked the children. The way they kept circling around the children and pecking them was eerie. Not to mention that Miss Walters got attacked by a gull just yesterday.”

Jaha casts a fleeting glance towards her before refocusing his attention on Marcus.

“Well, I don’t know why the bird attacked Miss Walters, but about the party. Were the children bothering the birds? Perhaps throwing stones at them?”

Before Marcus can deny this, Vera jumps in. “Don’t be ridiculous Thelonius. You know that those children, and you know that they would never do such a thing like that. They were simply playing a game of tag and those gulls attacked them without any warning.”

“Mrs. Kane, what all due respect that might be true, but birds don’t simply attack without being provoked. Perhaps you missed something,” the deputy explains.

“Well, I can assure you that I didn’t miss anything and the birds _did_ attack for no reason,” Vera insists.

Feeling the tension rising, Abby stands up from her place on the couch. “How about I take Sophie to bed? And afterward help you and your mother clean up?”

“That’s a great idea, thank you Abby,” Marcus replies with a soft smile.

Giving the deputy a polite nod, and briefly laying a comforting hand on Vera’s shoulder, she then takes Sophie by the hand and guides her towards the stairs.  
As Marcus watches her leave, he feels grateful for her presence in not only his but also his family’s life, no matter how short of a time he has known her.

The following morning Abby wakes up to rays of sunshine streaming through her window. With a content sigh, she stretches before leaving the warmth of the bed and walking towards the guest bathroom.

After freshening herself up she reluctantly puts the same outfit back on. She really does need to get back home, there are only so many days she could wear the same skirt and underwear. Luckily she’d been able to buy a pair of panties in the town’s little store. Deciding to let her hair in a more casual hairstyle today Abby makes her way downstairs.

“I’m on the porch, Miss Walters,” a male voice she’s becoming accustomed to calls out.

With a smile, she puts her coat on and walks towards the front porch. Marcus is sitting on one of the chairs, sipping from a cup of coffee while reading the newspaper.

“Good morning.”

“Morning,” she repeats as she settles down on a nearby chair before pouring herself a cup of coffee.

The next couple of minutes pass in a comfortable silence with him reading the paper and her gazing at the lake, occasionally sipping her coffee. At the sound of screeching tires, they’re both startled. With wide eyes, they watch how Vera’s jeep comes to an abrupt halt next to the barn. Alarmed by the woman’s drive style they both jump up from their chairs and rush towards the car.

Before they reach the jeep, his mother throws her door open and stumbles out of her car. Her entire body is shaking and tears are running down her cheeks.

“Mother whatever wrong? Did something happen with Sophie?” Marcus cries out, panic evident in his voice as he reaches out for her.

Vera immediately throws herself into his arms.“It’s Dan – he’s – I saw – oh Marcus it was horrible,” she sobs, her voice breaking as she clings to his shirt.

Marcus exchanges a worried glance with Abby before hugging his mother closer. He has never seen her this distraught, not even after his father died and the sight of the otherwise cheerful and strong woman in tears and shaking, scares him.

“Let’s go inside mother. Perhaps you’ll feel better after sitting down,” he suggests and he can feel her nod against his chest.

“I’ll make some tea, that might help,” Abby offers and he gives her a grateful nod.

As the Kanes move into the living room, Abby walks towards the kitchen where she starts to look for tea while boiling some water. She has already found a tray and placed some sugar and milk on it. She’s just about to pour the water when Marcus enters the kitchen.

“Deputy Jaha just called. Apparently Dan had some sort of accident and he asked if I could go over. Mother was the first one to discover the body,” he explains.

“Oh, poor Vera. No wonder she’s shaken. I’ll go and bring her a cup of tea and I can stay with her while you sort things out with the deputy.”

“Thank you, Abby. I don’t like leaving mother in her current state so the fact that she’ll have you does make me feel better. She’s currently resting in her bed, but I’m sure she’ll love some company.”

“It’s no problem, truly. She’s such a remarkable and loving woman,” Abby reassures him with a soft smile while placing two cups on the tray.

“Yes, she is. But so are you,” he states as he halts the movements of her hands, before gently holding onto to them and turning her towards him. 

Marcus is leaning against the sink, gazing at her with a tender look in his eyes while his thumb caresses the soft skin of her hand. 

“I’ll try to get back here as soon as possible.”

“Please do, Marcus. I’ve got a bad feeling about this. First, everything that happened yesterday with the birds acting strange and seemingly attacking us for no reason and now this accident? That can’t be a coincidence.” 

“I agree with you. Something strange is going on.”

“Please be careful Marcus. I – just come back safely,” she whispers while moving closer as one of her hands comes to rest on his chest, just over his heart. Her eyes focus on her hand and the feeling of the steady beating of his heart beneath her touch. 

“Careful Abby, some people might think you care for me,” he quips, trying to sound as if he’s teasing her, but his voice comes out more breathless - not to mention overwhelmed by her closeness - than anticipated.

Tilting her head, she offers him a weak smile. “Perhaps I do.”

He’s taken aback by the vulnerability that’s evident in her eyes. The honour Abby has bestowed on him, hits him hard. Because even though he has only known her for a very short period of time, Marcus knows that Abby isn’t the type of person to bare her emotions so easily. So for her to trust him enough that she allows him to  _see_ that she does care a great deal for him, makes his breath catch in his throat and he vows to himself to never ever betray that trust.

“Abby, I don’t -” Marcus starts to say, but she quiets him by covering his lips with a finger.

“Just kiss me, Marcus.”

Smiling down at the woman in his arms, he bends his head until he can - ever so gently - brush his lips against hers.

She emits the softest of gasps, and the sound makes him press his mouth firmer against hers, before starting to gently move them. Abby lets her hands slide up his chest until they’re behind his neck with her fingers tangled in his hair and breasts pressed against his chest. Moaning at the sensation of her fingers tugging at his hair, Marcus traces her lips with his tongue before deepening the kiss.

All of his focus is trained on her. His senses are overwhelmed by her touch, her taste, her smell. Nothing outside of the kiss seemed real. His entire world is reduced to  _Abby._

Breaking the kiss, he rests his forehead against hers, trying to catch his breath. His heartbeat is roaring in his ears.

“I – that was -” Marcus stammers while looking down at her with something akin to awe in his eyes.

“It certainly was,” she whispers back before pressing a feather-light kiss on his lips.

“As much as I don’t want to, I do have to leave,” he says, reluctance clear in his voice.

“I know. And I meant what I said before Marcus, please be safe,” she urges him, her hands cupping his cheeks.

“I will,” Marcus promises her and with one final brush of lips he leaves.

Watching him leave, Abby leans back against the counter. Her heart is racing and she lets her fingers trail across her lips, which are still tingling from his kisses. With a small smile on her face, she gathers the tray with the cups and makes her way to Vera’s bedroom.

Before entering the room, she politely knocks first. “I brought you some tea, Vera.”

“Oh thank you, dear. That’s so kind of you,” the older woman replies as Abby puts the tray down on her bedside table before giving her a cup.

Unable to kill her curiosity, she lets her gaze travel across the room until it lands on a photograph of a man, who has a strong resemblance to both Marcus and Sophie.

“I still miss him,” Vera softly states, causing Abby to quickly turn her head away, embarrassed at being caught, but the woman merely gives her smile before looking back at the picture. “You would think that it gets easier with time, but grief has a way of catching you by surprise. One minute you’re doing fine and then the next -,” she trails off.

“The next minute, the pain feels just as bad as it did when it just happened and you feel like you’re drowning,” Abby finishes with a trembling voice.

Vera gives her a questioning look and she’s quick to elaborate.

“I lost my fiancé in a car accident a couple of years ago. It still hurts,” she explains and both women share a look of understanding.

Clearing her throat, Abby gives Vera a small smile, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you up. Do you want me to leave so you can get some rest?”

“Oh no. Please don’t leave. I rather not be alone right now, because every time I close my eyes, I see Dan and -,” the woman breaks off, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Feeling her heart break at the sight, Abby rushes over to the bed and gathers Vera into her arms.

“Forgive me, I’m usually not this emotional. This whole bird business has simply gotten to me, I guess.”

“That’s quite alright Vera. There’s no need to apologise,” Abby reassures her when the woman leans back, her back leaning against the bedpost.

Abby pours the woman a cup of tea before handing it to her.

“My son seems to have taken a liking to you,” Vera comments while sipping her tea.

“Oh, I –” Abby stammers while averting her eyes and feeling slightly flustered.

“There’s no need to blush dear. I may be old, but I still have excellent eyes. Besides, I think you two would be good for each other.”

Not knowing how to respond, Abby merely smiles.

Vera suddenly tenses before looking at her with wide eyes. “Sophie. Do you think she’s safe at the school? What if there’s another bird attack when they’re playing outside? I’ve got to get her –”

Abby tries her best to calm the older woman down. “I don’t think that’s wise Vera. You’re in no condition to drive. Why don’t you try to get some sleep and I’ll go and pick her up.”

“I couldn’t possibly ask that of you.”

“Nonsense Vera. I’d be happy to do it,” she reassures her and Vera gives her a grateful smile.

“Thank you, dear. That would set my mind at ease.”

“Alright, I’ll go right away. You try to rest a little bit.”

* * *

After parking her car in front of the school, Abby can hear the voices of the children coming through the open window as they sing songs. A glance at her watch confirms that it’s almost time for their break so she decides to wait outside. Spotting a bench in front of the playground she crosses the short distance before sitting down and lighting a cigarette.

_Kraa kraa_

Cigarette still in hand, Abby freezes. 

_Kraa kraa_

Just then she spots from the corner of eye something black flying past her. And another one. And another one.

_Please no. Not again._

Her body tense, she turns her head until she has a clear view of the playground. Through eyes, wide from fear she notices the climbing rack, which is filled with crows. Ever so slowly Abby rises from the bench, only to halt when a new flock of birds lands on swings, benches, the fence until the entire playground is one black mass of crows. A hundred pairs of beady eyes are staring at her and she can feel herself breaking out in a cold sweat, heart racing.

Glancing towards the school, Abby can still hear the children’s voices. She has to warn them and get them somewhere safe. Finally getting up from the bench, with her eyes trained on the birds, she starts to make little steps towards the school building, trying not to make any swift motions.

Yet after only ten maybe fifteen steps, the birds start to all flutter their wings and Abby briefly stops moving. She’s standing paralyzed in the middle of the sidewalk, the stairs of the school mere meters to her right.

She can’t give up now. Not with all those children so close by.

Taking a deep breath, Abby pushes down her fears and moves – little by little – until she’s able to run up the stairs and close the school’s front door behind.

She all but collapses against the door, her heart is still racing in her chest and her hands are slightly trembling. One thought crosses her mind;

_They’re trapped._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final teaser: 
> 
> “Please, just close the door.”  
> “Whatever is the matter Abby?”  
> “Look outside,” Abby says while gesturing towards the window.  
> When Callie does and sees all the birds, a small gasp escapes the teacher’s lips.  
> “We have to get the children into safety,” Abby presses.  
> “How?” Callie asks, fear clear in her voice.  
> “How about a fire drill? We’ll just have to be very quiet and get the children somewhere safe as soon as possible.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it babes, this is the third and final chapter! Prepare yourself for lots of birds (serioulsy there's a ridiculous amount of birds), a brief appearance of a hysterical Diana, some feels, a kiss or two and a happy ending?!
> 
> Also, there are descriptions of bloody scenes and birds attacking people, they aren't too explicit but I still want to warn y'all

Abby’s still trying to catch her breath when the bell rings, announcing that it’s time for a break.  Realizing that she’s almost out of time, she quickly enters the classroom just as Callie moves to open the door in the back which leads towards the playground.

“Miss Cartwig, hello,” Abby exclaims, her voice falsely cheerful.

“Miss Walters, what a pleasant surprise,” Callie notes, while resting her hand on the doorknob.

Abby offers her a tight smile before giving the children what she hopes to be a friendly look, and swiftly crossing the room to where Callie is standing.

“Don’t open that door,” she softly utters as not to alarm the children.

“Why ever not?” The woman asks, a small frown apparent on her face.

“Just trust me please.”

“What’s wrong? Is it another bird attack?” Callie whispers, her eyes wide in shock and tinged with fear.

Abby gives her a solemn nod, “Not yet. Look outside,” she says while gesturing towards the window.

After one glance outside and noticing the covered with birds playground, a small gasp escaped the teacher’s lips.

“We have to get the children into safety,” Abby presses, while warily eyeing the playground and the birds.

“How are we going to do that? We’re stuck in here,” Callie states, fear clear in her voice.

“Can’t you do a fire drill? That way we can get the children to be quiet before taking them somewhere safe.”

“That’s a great idea,” Callie agrees. “Alright then,” she continues before moving towards the front of the class and addressing her students.

“Children, Miss Walters would like to see how we all do a fire drill,” she announces, but she’s quick to raise her hands when the students grow excited in order to calm them down. “Now we’re all going to be very quiet and you’re going to do exactly as we practiced. Alright?”

The children all give her a nod.

“John and Ben you two get up first, the rest will follow you. Now when we’re outside those who live nearby are going to go directly to their homes. I don’t want anyone to go to the playground or stay behind to talk. Everyone else goes to the hotel and stays there. Have I made myself clear?”

A chorus of  _yes Miss Cartwig_ rings through the classroom.

The women share a nervous look as the children start to slowly make their way out of the classroom. They’re waiting in front of the door when Callie closes the door of the classroom behind her.

“Miss Walters, could you open the door, please?”

“Of course.”

With her hand on the doorknob, Abby waits for Callie’s sign. When the teacher gives her a small nod, she gently opens the door.

At Callie’s -  _run children, run -_ they all start to run out of the building and the second their feet hit the stairs, the birds start to screech and flap their wings. The sky, which had been blue just a couple of seconds prior, was now black with birds. Terrified cries resonate through the air, but the children don’t stop running. They all try to cover their faces with their arms or jackets as they make their way down the hill, either towards their house or to the hotel.

Together with Callie, Abby is the last person to leave the school, that way no child can be left behind. But as both women start to run, it’s difficult to keep their eyes on all of the children when trying to shield their faces from the birds. With a start, Abby realises that she can’t find Sophie’s brown curls between the remaining children.

_God no!_

“Callie, have you seen Sophie?” She shouts to the figure on her left and who has her arms wrapped around one of her students.

Callie makes a swift note of the children before throwing her a shocked look. “No, I haven’t. Perhaps she went to a fellow classmate’s house?”

Panic coursing through her veins, Abby abruptly stops in the middle of the road, ignoring the birds flapping around. There’s no way she can run to safety without knowing if Marcus’ sister is safe as well.

“You make sure the others are safe, I’m going to look for Sophie,” she cries out while turning around, not even waiting for a reply from the teacher.

Feeling the birds pecking at her and ripping her clothes, Abby tries her best to fight them off while looking for Sophie.

“Sophie! Sophie! Where are you?”

With her eyes half closed, she runs back towards the school, all the while calling out the young girl’s name. Just when she almost lost all hope of finding her, she can hear a weak, but thankfully familiar female voice shouting her name.

“Miss Walters. Miss Walters, we’re over here.”

Turning to her left, she spots Sophie and another girl crouching behind a car. Swallowing back a relieved sigh - they’re not in the clear just yet - Abby runs towards them.

The young girl throws herself into Abby’s arms. “I’m sorry, Miss Walters, I know I wasn’t supposed to stop, but Jane tripped and hurt her ankle. I couldn’t just leave her,” she sobs, her body shaking.

“It’s okay, Sophie, you did the right thing. You were being a good friend,” Abby reassures her before breaking the hug and taking a look at Jane’s right ankle. It’s bruised and slightly swollen, but as she gingerly presses down it doesn’t seem to be broken.

“You’re going to be fine Jane, I think you just sprained it. Will you be able to walk on it?” She asks, keeping her voice gentle and friendly with her eyes trained on the young girl, who’s crying and looking absolutely terrified.

The girl shakes her head as new tears roll down her cheeks.

“Okay, that’s okay Jane. We’re going to be alright,” Abby utters, trying to sound hopeful while on the inside she’s full-on panicking.

Her mind’s racing as she tries to figure out how she’s going to get the two girls somewhere safe. It isn’t until she raises her gaze to find a place where they would hide, that Abby remembers that they’re all crouching behind a car. Taking a deep breath and muttering a prayer, she reaches up and tries to open the door, which to her immense relief, easily opens.

“Girls, get inside the car. We’ll be safe in here.”

Before long the girls are huddled up in the back seat and Abby’s sitting in the driver’s seat. The crows keep slamming into the car from all sides and Abby can hear the girls crying in the back.

“Close your eyes girls. It will all be over soon enough,” she orders while closing hers as well and burying her head between her arms since the sight of dead birds covering the hood of the car is making her feel nauseous.

After what feels like an eternity the sound of birds screeching and slamming into the car stop. Ever so slowly Abby opens her eyes and lifts her gaze towards the front window. Once more the sky is blue and all the birds – except for the dead ones which are covering both the hood and the street- are gone. At the sound of a knock on the window, Abby jumps up in her seat, only to calm down when she notices that it’s Callie.

“You didn’t think I really was going to leave you, did you? I also called Marcus, he’s currently on his way,” The woman states while opening the door and Abby can’t help but laugh, as all the fear and stress from the past couple of minutes fall away.

“Well, thank you for that. Could you perhaps take Sophie home with you? I know she’ll be safe with you. I’ll take Jane with me to the diner since she has sprained her ankle.”

Callie gives her an affirmative nod before opening the door where the girls are sitting. “Come on Sophie, why don’t we go to my place? We can have some hot chocolate if you want.”

Abby can tell that the girl’s hesitant in leaving the car. “Go with her Sophie. I promise Jane and I will be safe,” she reassures the young girl.

Watching Sophie and Callie making their way over to the teacher’s house, Abby gets out the car before helping Jane. With the girl leaning heavily on her, they slowly make their way over to the diner.

* * *

When the diner finally comes into view, the door is thrown open and Marcus rushed out.

“Abby, are you alright? Callie called me, sounding frantic about birds attacking the school and that you stayed behind to look for Sophie,” Marcus declares, only to stop and frown when he doesn’t see his sister. “Where is Sophie?”

“She’s alright Marcus, I send her home with Callie. She’s safe,” she says, putting his mind at rest and she can tell his relieved by the way his shoulders slump down.

“Thank god. Come, let’s you two inside,” he states before leaning down and gently gathering Jane into his arms, mindful of the girl’s ankle.

After he puts the young girl down on a nearby chair and the town’s doctor is called, Marcus turns all his attention towards Abby.

“Are you sure you’re alright? I was so worried when I got that phone call. I feared that the birds might have attacked you. That you might be injured or worse. I came over as soon as I could,” he stammers, eyes frantically flickering over her body, noticing some minor scratches and tears in her clothing.

“I’m just a bit shaken Marcus. I assure you that I’m quite alright,” she utters while laying a hand on his arm.

He still doesn’t look entirely convinced, so after checking her over one final time he crushes her against his chest.

“Please don’t ever do that to me again,” he croaks, his voice breaking.

“I won’t, I promise,” Abby whispers as she wraps her arms around him as well, feeling safe for the first time since spotting the birds in the playground.

Marcus leans back and as their eyes lock, an emotion she can’t fully describe flashes through his eyes before he bends his head and captures her lips in a kiss. He doesn’t care about the fact that they’re standing in the middle of a diner where lots of people were staring at them.

Everything seems to fall away except the sensation of Marcus’ lips moving against hers and Abby feels herself falling into his kiss. They do keep the kiss relatively chaste and after breaking away in need for air, Abby can feel her cheeks burning, but Marcus merely grins before wrapping an arm around her waist and keeping her close.

“Come, let’s take a seat.”

Just then a mother cries out, “Whatever happened outside?”

“The birds,” Abby replies while sitting down, “They filled the playground and when the children left the school building they attacked.”

“What do you mean they attacked?” Another – older – woman asks.

“They started screeching, flapping their wings and pecking the children. It was horrific,” Abby explains with her voice slightly shaking and Marcus leans over the table and captures her hand.

“That’s ridiculous. Birds don’t attack like that. They don’t have the brain capacity to group up and attack humans,” the same older woman scoffs, rolling her eyes.

“Well, madam, as someone who was in the middle of the attack, I can assure you that they most certainly can,” she snaps back, feeling annoyed that the woman’s obvious dismissal.

The woman opens her mouth once more, but Marcus swiftly cuts her off.

“I’ve seen them attack as well Nygel. Miss Walters is telling the truth,” he states and the woman – Nygel – begrudgingly stays quiet.

“What happened today at the school is an obvious sign that something’s terribly wrong with the birds in our town. The deputy and I rushed over from the Fawchett farm where Dan’s body was discovered, and it seems like he was a victim of birds as well,” Marcus comments, addressing the people in the diner.

“Now Marcus, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We don’t know what happened to Dan for sure,” Jaha retorts, trying to settle down the agitated murmurs that are going through the diner.

“Jaha please. After what happened at my mother’s place yesterday, both during Sophie’s party and in the evening and now this attack at the school? It’s obvious what happened to Dan. His body was covered in scratches and foot prints. Not to mention all the feathers lying around. We have to take action. We can’t just sit by and wait for the next attack. What if someone else gets hurt? Or dies like Dan?” Marcus exclaims and the others utter a murmur of agreement.

“Wait didn’t something like this happened in Santa Cruz a year ago?” Sinclair prompts from behind the counter. 

“Ah yes, I recall that,” Nygel pipes up, “Some seagulls got lost in the fog and somehow ended up in the town.”

“From what I recall they smashed into buildings, cars, they even attacked people,” Sinclair recounts.

“And the next day It was as if nothing had happened. They simply vanished,” Nygel finishes.

“Yes well, it is happening right now in this town. There must be something we can do about it,” Marcus presses.

“About what? Your so-called bird war?” Jaha scoffs, clearly not believing a word of what he’s saying.

“If that’s how you want to call it, sure. These attacks must mean something. And I don’t think that they’re finished. I think that they’re going to attack again. And soon.”

“Marcus I think you’re overreacting. Yes, these occurrences are strange. And yes, birds might be responsible for Dan’s death or played at least a significant role, but birds actively targeting and attacking us? You can’t be serious,” the deputy counters yet again.

“I most certainly am. Are you really going to ignore all of the evidence?” He exclaims, sounding incredulous as if he can’t believe that Jaha of all people - as the deputy of the town - could ignore evidence and simply accept the attacks without wondering _why_ they’ve happened.

Marcus continues with trying to persuade Jaha of investigating the attacks when a seagull passes one of the diner’s windows. Attention grabbed, Abby rises from her seat and makes her way over to the window where she watches how a flock of gulls is circling a car at the gas station.

“Marcus, come and look over here!” She calls out without taking her gaze from the window.

Soon enough Marcus, Jaha and several others are gathered at the window as well, just in time to see the birds knocking a man down.

“It’s happening again. Jaha, Sinclair help me get that man inside. Abby, please stay inside,” he cries out before running towards the door.

Giving him a nod, Abby returns her attention towards the window and the gas station, where to her horror, gasoline is starting to run down the street, towards several parked cars. only to halt to a car. Watching it pool around the cars, a man steps out of his car and moves to light a cigar.

“Someone has to stop that man,” she cries out, eyes darting between the man and the gas station where Marcus is. “If that man lights his cigar he’ll blow everyone up.”

A man manages to open the window and they all start to yell at the man;

“Don’t drop that match!”

“Look out there’s gasoline beneath your feet!”

“Get out of there!”

“Your car is surrounded with gasoline!”

Startled the man drops the match and the second it hits the grounds, flames erupt and the car blows up.

Horrified, everyone in the diner observes how the man is burned alive. Nearby cars catch fire as well and the flames start to travel upwards, towards the gas station.

“Marcus get away!” Abby barely manages to scream before there’s a big explosion, the force so big it even reaches the diner and they’re all pushed backward.

There’s a ringing in her ears and she’s feeling dazed while scrambling up from the ground.

_Marcus!_

She needs to get to Marcus. He could be injured or worse. At the thought of Marcus being injured, tears start to well up in her eyes.

_No!_

_He has to be alright, he simply has to._

In a flash, she’s in front of the door before throwing it open. She has barely sat a foot outside when she’s hit in the face by a gull. Quickly shutting the door of the diner, she swats the bird away.

“Go away you stupid bird,” she yells.

_No bird is going to stop her from getting to Marcus._

Glancing around, all she sees is chaos. Utter chaos. The air is filled with the smell of gasoline and smoke, there are still flames and the heat is pricking at her eyes, making them water.

“Marcus? Marcus?” She calls his name while walking towards the gas station, or what remains of it.

There’s no answer.

The number of birds flying around isn’t helping either.

Luckily she spots a nearby phone booth and she makes a run for it, all the while ducking the birds the best she can. When she’d safely inside, she takes a second to take a deep breath - an attempt to calm her racing heart - before turning her gaze towards the gas station, trying to find Marcus amidst the chaos and flames.

It doesn’t take long before she recognises his familiar stature and she lets out a relieved sigh at the sight. He has lost his jacket, his once white shirt is stained from the smoke and his hair is a wild mess of curls.

She tries to wave at him from inside the booth, but gulls keep slamming into the glass, blocking her view.

“Why are you doing this? What have we ever done to you to deserve this?” She screams when they keep flying into the booth, only to shake her head.

_She must be losing her mind. Talking to birds of all things._

Just then firefighters arrive at the gas station and Abby watches how they try to chase the birds away by hitting them with water, but they kept on attacking everyone who got too close.

A crash against the booth startles her and as Abby turns around, she lets out a terrified gasp and takes several steps backward, until she’s pressed against the glass on the other side of the booth. Through wide eyes and while covering her mouth in disgust, Abby watches how a man is pressed against the glass, blood pouring from various of deep scratches while gulls keep tearing at his clothes, hair, and skin. Paralysed with fear, Abby can’t do anything but view how the man slowly slides down the glass until he collapses on the ground, the gulls still pecking at him and tearing pieces of flesh from his body.

After a while, the gulls leave the bloodied body alone and they start to slam into the booth. They hit the glass so hard that it starts to crack and Abby raises her arms to protect her face as she braces herself for the inevitable breaking of the glass. But before that can happen, a hand grabs her hand and her body tenses, ready to strike whoever is touching her, only to relax when she notices that the hand belongs to Marcus. She’s so grateful that it’s him that she nearly breaks down from sheer relief.

“Abby, let’s get you into the diner,” he murmurs before wrapping her into his arms – effectively blocking her from the birds – and guiding her towards the diner.

As they enter the diner, it’s eerily quiet and empty. Holding her hand, Marcus slowly starts to walk towards the back and as they turn right, they see the others, who are all huddled close, some people are softly crying while others look like they’re in shock.

They all stare at Marcus and Abby until one woman breaks free and storms towards them.

“Why are they doing this? You tell me why those birds are doing this? Some people said that this whole thing only started after  _you_ got here,” the woman screams while pointing a finger at Abby.

“Who are you? What are you? Where did you come from? I think you're the cause of all of this. I think you're evil. EVIL!” the woman continues, sounding hysterical as tears stream down her cheeks and she throws her an accusatory glare.

When the woman comes even closer and continues to scream  _evil_ in her face - and before Marcus can stop her - Abby slaps her right on the cheek, the sound of the palm of her hand hitting the skin echoes loudly through the now dead silent diner.

Pulling her back, before the woman can retaliate - or before she can strike again, Abby isn’t sure - and partly behind him, Marcus addresses the now dumbstruck woman.

“Don’t be ridiculous Diana. Miss Walters isn’t responsible for this. How could she be? You think she talks to the birds? Ask them to attack people? How preposterous of you to suggest such a thing. Let’s say that you’re right and Miss Walters is responsible. Why would she put herself in danger as well? Why would the birds attack her if she’s behind this? So your accusation is based on no evidence whatsoever and if I were you I’d think twice before repeating them again,” Marcus warns her, his voice oddly calm and icy in way Abby hadn’t heard him speak before and suddenly the image of him as an imposing and aloof lawyer flashes through her mind, causing a shiver to travel down her spine.

“I’m only going to say this once and I want you all to listen to me. Whatever is prompting these birds to attack us and even kill us, Miss Walters has absolutely nothing to do with it. And those who state otherwise are going to have to deal with me. Have I made myself clear?” he stresses in the same calm voice.

Everyone in the diner give an affirmative nod and if this was any other situation, Abby would have bristled against the way Marcus pulled her behind him and how he talked in her name, as if she wasn’t capable of defending herself, but right now she feels a rush of affection for his passionate defence of her. She gives his hand a grateful squeeze and when he turns his head towards her, she presses a quick kiss on his cheek.

Before he can say anything, Sinclair and Jaha rush into the diner, both men are looking bruises with their shirts dirty from the smoke and ripped thanks to the birds.

“I think they’re leaving,” Sinclair announces before running towards the window.

They all gather around the window and watch how the birds fly away, only Marcus and Abby stay behind.

“Let’s go get Sophie and go home,” Marcus proposes while caressing her cheek.

Abby leans into his touch before giving him a nod. “I’d like that. I’m sure your mother is worried by now.”

* * *

As they step outside, they’re immediately confronted with the heavy scent of smoke. The street is filled with feathers, dead birds, some stray shoes, patches of scorched concrete, and small puddles of water.

They slowly make their way upwards the hill only for Abby to freeze when she spots the crows sitting on the fence near the school.

“It’s the same crows as before,” she whispers, her hand firmly grasped around his.

“Shh Abby, it’s alright. Let’s just move as slow and quiet as possible,” Marcus murmurs back, before gently tugging on her hand.

With their eyes locked on the crows, they walk past them, acutely aware of the way the beady eyes are trained on them, making their skin crawl and Marcus to pull Abby closer to him.

When they arrive at Callie’s house, Marcus is the one first to spot a figure lying on the ground in front of the stairs.

_Please, no!_

After taking another step towards the house, he lets out a broken,“No. Please, not her!”

Confused, Abby moves forward and lets her eyes travel in the same direction as his. The first thing she sees is a discarded shoe, but when she notices a bloodied leg, she feels a cold chill spread through her body and with one final step she gets a full view of Callie’s body, which is covered with dried up blood and numerous of scratches. The woman’s head is turned towards them, with her neck positioned in an unnatural postion. Her dead eyes seem to be looking straight at them.

“Oh no, Callie,” Abby laments while turning and hiding her face against Marcus’ chest, who instinctively wraps his arms around her. She can feel him slightly tremble as silent sobs wreck his body.

Wanting to comfort him, she leans back and cups his cheeks with both of her hands, her thumbs brushing the tears away.

“I’m so sorry Marcus. Callie truly seemed like a wonderful person,” she whispers while continuing to rub his cheeks.

“Thank you,” he murmurs after a couple of seconds, before taking a shuddering breath.

“We should cover her body up,” he adds, only to freeze. “Wait, if Callie’s out here, wherever is Sophie?” He wonders, his tone urgent.

“Perhaps she hid inside of the house,” Abby suggests while fervently praying that that would be the case.

They immediately run towards the front door and rush into the house, both calling out Sophie. The sound of sobbing coming from the living room catches their attention.

“Sophie?” Marcus inquiries while entering the room and at the sight of her brother, the young girl crawls out from behind the chair she’s been hiding and throws herself into his arms.

“Marcus, you’re finally here. I was so scared,” the girl sobs.

“It’s okay, Sophie. I’m here, you’re safe now,” he promises her while holding her close.

“Where’s Miss Cartwig?” the girl asks, causing Marcus and Abby to share a solemn look over her head.

“When we heard the explosion we went outside, wanting to see what had happened and then -,” Sophie continues, her voice breaking, “Then those birds suddenly appeared, circling us and Miss Cartwig pushed me inside, yelling at to me to hide in the house and not to look outside.”

“I’m so sorry Sophie, but unfortunately Miss Cartwig died,” Marcus gently breaks the horrible news, his voice filled with sorrow and pain.

Hearing her worst fear being confirmed the girl starts to cry even louder, breaking both his and Abby’s heart with her sobs.

Suddenly Marcus’ eyes flash with fire and after breaking his embrace with his sister, he storms outside without uttering another word. After ordering Sophie to stay inside, Abby swiftly follows him.

Marcus feels flashes of hot anger coursing through his veins, the sight of the birds sitting on Callie’s fence, barely inches from her dead body infuriates him even more. Leaning down, he picks up a rock and moves towards the birds.

He wants to hurt them. Hurt them as much as they had hurt and eventually murdered Callie. Hurt them for scaring his sister. For harming Abby. For terrorizing his town.

“Marcus no,” Abby cries out while barely managing to hold his arm back. “Don’t provoke them, please. Not with Sophie so close.”

He reluctantly lowers his arm, but she can still feel the anger vibrating from his body.

“Please Marcus, let’s go home,” she presses him and to her relief, he drops the rock, his shoulders sagging.

“I’m just –” he starts, but he lets the sentence trail off, unable to properly convey his feelings.

The look of utter defeat breaks something inside of her and all she wants is to wrap her arms around him and never let go.

“I know darling,” she whispers and his eyes do light up at the endearment.

“Darling huh? I knew you liked me,” he quips, his mouth slightly quirking up, just as she had intended by using that particular word.

“Well, you’re not completely terrible,” she retorts with a small smile.

For a short second everything seems alright again, but then a crow’s screech drags them back to reality.

“What are you going to do with her body? You can’t leave her outside. Not with those birds around. Or the possibility of one of her students walking past before the coroner gets here,” Abby claims and Marcus gives her a thoughtful look.

“You’re right. Why don’t you go back inside and stay with Sophie while I’ll get a blanket, cover her with it before moving her body into her office,” he suggests.

“Alright, I’ll wait with Sophie in the living room,” Abby agrees before letting her eyes drift towards Callie. Kneeling next to the body, she reached out and closes the woman’s eyes while saying a quick prayer.

_May we meet again._

Marcus helps her up and together they enter the house once more. Abby immediately goes back to Sophie - finding the girl sitting on the couch, hugging a pillow to her chest - while Marcus goes up the stairs, in search for a blanket.

Ten minutes later Marcus enters the living room, looking pale and as he runs a hand through his hair, Abby notices that his hands are shaking.

She can’t even begin to imagine how excruciating this must have been for him, carrying the dead body of someone - she assumed - he used to love and still cared for. When Jake died in the car accident, she had seen his body - washed and beneath a sheet - and had kissed him one final time, but she hadn’t been confronted with a bloodied and mutilated body. A shiver wrecks her body at the thought, causing Sophie who had crawled into her lap to instinctively tighten her grip on her waist.

“Is it done?” She whispers and he gives her a solemn nod.

“Let’s go home,” Marcus replies and they get up from the couch, Sophie still pressed against her side.

As they arrive at the front door, the crows start to flap their wings and Abby can hear the young girl whimpering. While she rubs comforting circles on her back, Marcus takes hold of her hand and ever the slowly they begin to move, not once looking back until they reach Abby’s car which is still parked at the school.

Quickly putting the roof up, she and Sophie slide onto the backseat while Marcus takes a seat behind the wheel.

* * *

The whole ride passes in silence and when the car rounds the final turn, Marcus can see a figure waiting on the porch. As they come closer, that figure transforms into his mother, huddled in blankets. The sight of her unharmed, a weight is lifted off his shoulders.

Killing the engine, Marcus swiftly exits the car before helping Abby and Sophie. 

“There you guys are, I was so worried. I heard about the birds attack on the radio and I -” Vera starts while moving towards, only to stop when she notices the numerous scratches, the torn up clothing and the dried blood. 

“My goodness, whose blood is that? Are you three alright?”

Marcus is quick to comfort his mother. “We’re all relatively unharmed mother. Just some minor scratches. Let’s go inside, shall we? Then we can clean up and tell you all about it.”

It takes a while, but eventually, all of the wounds are cleaned, clothes have been replaced by new ones - for Abby this meant a sweater of Marcus and some old pants of Vera - blood has been washed off, and they’re all gathered at the dining table.  Vera made some sandwiches, but nobody is really hungry.

Sophie takes tiny bites of hers, she mostly sips from her hot chocolate while the adults have their hands wrapped around a cup of coffee with a generous splash of scotch in it. His mother silently listens to Marcus’ recollection of everything that had happened in town, from the two bird attacks to Miss Cartwig’s unfortunate demise. She never cuts him off, simply holds a tight grip on her cup, turning pale.

“And that’s about it,” Marcus finishes before taking a large sip of his coffee.

“That sounds horrible. You must have been so scared,” his mother replies, her tone soft and filled with worry while reaching out and grabbing her daughter’s hand.

“I’m sorry Abby. If I hadn’t asked you to collect Sophie, you wouldn’t have been caught in the middle of it.”

Abby’s quick to shake her head and reassure the woman that there’s no reason to feel guilty.

“There’s no need for apologies Vera. If you hadn’t asked me to go to Sophie’s school, they might have gone out to the playground, unaware of all the birds that were waiting for them.”

Before the older woman can form a reply all the lights go out, leaving them in darkness save for some little rays of remaining sunlight.

“Alright, let’s all stay calm. Mother why don’t you light some candles and relocate towards the living room while I’ll go and check the wiring,” Marcus states while getting up.

Giving her son a nod, Vera rises as well, Abby and Sophie following and moving towards the living room.

When Marcus comes back, candles are already lit and placed all around the room. Sophie is nestled against Abby, her legs on the couch while his mother’s kneeling in front of her Eden tree and praying. After catching Abby’s eyes, he gives her a small smile before gathering some wood and starting a fire, making sure that if birds decide to attack again, they can’t enter through the chimney.

“The wires are chewed through and the fences are filled with birds. But they didn’t make any noise when I went outside, they simply stared at me,” Marcus informs them while putting some more wood in the fireplace.

“I hope it’ll stay that way,” Abby murmurs and he gives her a nod, agreeing completely.

When Vera settles on the opposite couch, Sophie moves and settles against her mother, leaving Abby’s side free, but not for long because Marcus sits down next to her. Not as close as Sophie has been, but still close enough so she can smell his cologne and feel his leg pressed against hers. His presence next to her has a calming effect on her and without turning her gaze from the fire she slides a hand over until it bumps into his. Wordlessly Marcus intertwines their fingers, while his thumb caresses her skin.

Suddenly Sophie’s lovebirds, who are still in their cage in the kitchen, start to frantically chirp and they all tense up.

And then it starts.

It begins slow, with soft  _kraas_ , but soon enough they can all hear the screeches, chirps and other noises from - what sounds like - different kinds of birds.  

“Mom, I’m scared,” Sophie murmurs while snuggling closer against Vera while Abby instinctively tightens her grip on Marcus’ hand.

“We’ll be alright. As long as we stay inside, we’ll be safe,” Marcus softly reassures everyone while pressing a quick kiss against Abby’s hand.

Abby wants to believe him, she truly does, but she can’t help but fear that they might attack again. The previous attacks also started with birds silently gathering together.

“Why are they doing this?” She asks. All these attacks, they seem so pointless. She can’t figure out what motives the birds can have for attacking them.

“I wish I knew darling. I wish I knew,” he replies, wishing he could give her a proper answer and make the fear in her eyes go away.

“You don’t – you don’t believe what that woman in the diner said right? That I was somehow responsible for this?” Abby utters while averting her gaze and staring at their clasped hands.

“What? Abby, no. Absolutely not!” Marcus exclaims.

When she doesn’t meet his eyes, he reaches out and gently lifts her chin until their eyes lock. “I meant every word I said back in the diner. I sincerely doubt you have the skills to control those birds’ minds and make them attack us. Besides, as Sinclair mentioned, something similar happened a year ago in Santa Cruz. Were you there?”

She shakes her head. “No, but –”

Marcus is quick to intercept, “Then I fail to see how you could be possibly responsible. Please Abby, don’t let someone like Diana mess with your head.”

Overwhelmed by his support, Abby hugs him before pressing a chaste kiss against his lips - mindful of the fact that his mother and sister are sitting across the room.

At the sudden sound of glass breaking, they jump apart.

“What was that?” Vera questions with a firm grip on her daughter.

Just as Marcus starts to reply, they can hear more glass breaking and the twittering of birds.

“They’ve broken the windows in the dining room,” Marcus claims while jumping up from the couch and dragging Abby to a standing position as well. “Mother, why don’t you take a chandelier and guide Abby and Sophie towards the library? I’ll try to shut the window.”

Both his mother and sister rise and walk towards the hallway, but Abby doesn’t move at all. She keeps looking at him, her posture tense.

“Abby please –” Marcus starts, but he stops when she pulls him towards her and kisses him.

His hands land on her waist, pulling her even closer as he deepens the kiss, his tongue slipping between her lips.

“Please be safe,” Abby whispers against his mouth, before giving him a final kiss and following Vera and Sophie.

* * *

Hours later they’re still all holed up in the library. Marcus had managed to temporarily fix the broken window, but not without gaining a rather large gash on his lower left forearm. The birds seem to have settled down. There’s still the occasional sound of chirping or wings fluttering, but nothing too loud.

Both Vera and Sophie are in a deep slumber on the couch and Abby fondly observes how the young girl snuggles closer – even while asleep - into her mother’s embrace. Turning her head towards the chair on her right, she sees Marcus, slumped down in his chair while softly snoring. It’s an endearing sight and she adds that particular fact to her redefined view on his character, which is vastly different from the one she had during their first meeting in the pet shop.

Even though the last couple of days have been emotionally and physically taxing, Abby doesn’t regret making the trip to Bodega Bay. Somehow this  _infuriating_ yet also  _thoughtful_ and  _kind_ man had nestled himself into her heart. But then again - as she briefly gazes at the other occupants of the room, so have Vera and Sophie. Ever since coming to this town and meeting the Kanes, Abby feels like she’s part of something, of a  _family._ Which was something she never thought she’d be a part of. Not after Jake’s death. And for that, she’ll be forever grateful. 

Feeling herself starting to nod off as well, Abby wraps the blanket Marcus gave her earlier firmer around her, all the while never letting go of Marcus’ hand. Just before she drifts off to sleep a loud _sjirp_ drags her back to consciousness.

_That sounded way too close._

As she sneaks a glance at the others, she notices that they’re all still asleep.  Wanting to check if the birds haven’t found a way into the house, Abby gently extracts her hand from Marcus’ grip before getting out of the chair. She halts when Marcus murmurs something, but he merely shifts in his chair. With a tender smile, Abby covers him with her blanket before brushing back an errant curl from his forehead. She then moves towards one of the chandeliers, picking one up and making her way to the door. Ever so slowly and trying to be as quiet as possible as not to disturb the others, Abby opens the door before slipping out of the library and closing it behind her.

The sound of feathers rustling and soft _sjirps_ is more prominent in the hallway. Yet there are no birds either flying around or perched on the furniture. After checking the living room, kitchen and dining area and finding no birds, Abby’s perplexed.

_Where are these sounds coming from?_

She has checked every room – oh, of course. Shaking her head at her foolishness, Abby walks towards the stairs leading to the bed- and bathrooms. Why didn’t she think of that earlier? Carefully Abby starts to walk up the stairs, the chandelier firmly in her grasp. But as she checks the rooms on the floor, she finds them all empty as well.

_How strange._

It’s only when she turns around to leave that she notices that there are more stairs. Which is odd because she can’t remember noticing those stairs when she stayed over only last night. But then again, they are partially hidden by a corner.

The volume of the _sjirps_ and _kraas_ increases as Abby gets closer to the attic. When she’s at the top of the stairs and in front of the door, she takes a deep breath as she tries to calm her racing heart. Before opening the door, she puts the chandelier down on the floor.

Opening the door by an inch, she can only see darkness. The sounds she heard just seconds ago are gone.

_Did she imagine the noise? Was her mind playing tricks on her?_

It must be, because it’s quiet. And somehow the eerie silence frightens her more than the _sjirping_ had. With another deep breath, Abby pushes the door even further open, but it only results in more darkness. There are no beady eyes staring at her, no noise of wings moving.

_This is ridiculous. Just open the door, Abigail. You can do this!_

So she does.

From what she can see, the attic is filled with closets, trunks a bed in the middle and – wait, how can there be a light shining in the room? She didn’t turn one on. Fear gripping her heart, Abby looks towards the ceiling and notices that there’s a hole in the roof and she has a clear view of the stars and a part of the moon.

_Oh no. This is not good. Not good at all._

Heart pounding in her ears, she picks the chandelier up and steps further into the room. Which is a big mistake, because the second she’s completely in the attic hundreds of eyes open and the door slams closed behind her back.

Before Abby even has to time to open her mouth and scream for help, they attack.

* * *

A loud thud awakens Marcus and he jumps right in his chair. Rubbing his eyes, he opens his mouth to ask Abby if she heard that noise too, but when comes to face with an empty chair, a frown appears.

_Where did that woman go to?_

Rising from his chair, he kneels next to the couch and gently wakes his mother. “Do you know where Abby went to?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t dear. The last time I saw her was before I fell asleep and you two were talking.”

A sense of dread seeps through his skin and settles into his core.

“Something’s wrong. I can feel it,” Marcus murmurs.

And then they hear it. A woman screaming in agony and he could feel the outcry deep into this bones.

“Abby!” He shouts before jumping up and rushing out of the room, towards the screams, not paying any attention to anything else _but_ Abby.

_He has to get her. He has to make sure she’s safe._

The cries and the sound of birds seem to be coming from the attic so he starts to sprint up the stairs and when he finally arrives at the attic, his breathing is erratic but he pays no attention to it. All his focus is on getting Abby. Noticing that the door is partially open, he tries to push it open, but something is blocking the door.

Looking down, Marcus is horrified to see a bloodied leg.

 _No!_ His mind screams. Suddenly he’s getting flashbacks of earlier today and walking into Callie’s dead body.

_He can’t – he won’t lose someone else today. Especially not Abby. He can’t. Please god. He can’t bear the thought of losing her._

Pushing against the door, he starts to call her name. “Abby, are you awake? Abby? Please, Abby! Please, wake up. Please, please.”

Marcus doesn’t know how long he keeps repeating her name of pleading with her to open her eyes, but finally he hears a faint groan.

“Marcus?”

Tears fill his eyes at the sound of her voice.

“Yes Abby, I’m right here. Can you move so I can open the door?”

“I – it hurts Marcus,” she laments, her voice breaking.

“I know darling, but you have to move. If you don’t I can’t open the door and get you out. Do you understand?” He urges her, praying to whatever god is willing to listen to let her find the strength to move, even if it’s just an inch or two.

“Okay,” she murmurs, but as she tries to move, pain shoots through her, causing her to cry out.

Her entire body hurts, she’s covered in scratches and bruises. There’s a taste of blood in her mouth. But Abby also realises that she can’t simply continue to lay here, not when she’s too tired to fight the birds off. So while gathering all the remaining strength she has left, Abby braces herself before rolling onto her left side, creating just enough space for Marcus to push the door open.

He has to fight the birds off, but Marcus does manage to gather Abby in his arms before slamming the door to the attic shut. The birds immediately start to peck at the door, making dents in the wood.

A whimper escapes Abby’s lips. “Is it over?”

“Yes, darling. You’re safe now,” he reassures her, the sight of her cradled in his arms, bruised and bloodied, shatters his heart.

This is his fault. He shouldn’t have fallen asleep. He should have stayed awake and looked after her.

”Let’s get you somewhere warmer,” Marcus states while ever so carefully starting to descend down the stairs. 

He can feel her blood seeping into his shirt, staining it and it prompts him to quicken his pace towards the library. 

“Mother, could you please open the door,” he calls out when he’s faced with the closed door.

“Marcus is everything al-” 

When Vera notices the way Abby’s draped in his arms and all of the blood, she can’t help but gasp. However, she doesn’t waste any precious time but steps aside so they can enter before swiftly closing the door. 

”Whatever happened? She asks. 

“There were birds in the attic and they attacked her. The rest of the house is safe, so mother could you please get some pieces of cotton and bandages?”

”Of course.”

”Sophie, why don't you join mother?” He asks his sister while settling Abby gently down on the couch.

“Okay.”

Abby’s laying down, a hand grasping his firmly. Her eyes are glossed over, but other than that, she seems to be oddly calm.

_She must be in shock._

Kneeling down next to the couch, Marcus gently brushes away some strands from her face, wincing and squaring his jaw when he notices a large scratch – from her ear to the middle of her cheek - that had been covered by her hair.

“I’m so sorry Abby,” he croaks, his voice trembling as he tries to swallow back the tears that are threatening to fall.

“Marcus,” she sighs while shifting so she can cup his cheek. “You have no reason for apologising. I was the one who went into the attic. You couldn’t have prevented this,” she avows with a small smile.

“But I-”

Abby shakes her head, effectively silencing him. “It wasn’t your fault. Besides you did save me, so you’ve got yourself another heroic deed,” she quips, eliciting a weak chuckle from Marcus.

“And yet still no scar,” he teases before leaning and brushing his lips against hers, just as his mother and sister walk back in.

“Here you go darling,” Vera says while handing him everything she got from the kitchen.

Marcus starts to clean the numerous of cuts and scratches, apologies spilling from his lips when Abby keeps wincing.

“We have to get her to a hospital Marcus,” his mother states.

“I know. But we can’t go into town. Perhaps we can go to San Franciso. We might be safe over there. Could you finish cleaning her wounds? I’ll go get the car,” he announces while getting up, only to be halted by Abby’s hand.

“Don’t go Marcus. Those birds might still be outside,” she pleads, tears filling her eyes.

“I have to try darling. We can’t stay in this house forever. We need to go somewhere safe and you do need to be checked over by a doctor,” he softly explains. “I’ll be careful, I promise.”

“You better be. You’re less annoying than I initially thought,” she reveals with a small smile.

“I‘ve grown fond of you as well,” he retorts before kissing her hand and getting up from his crouched position.

* * *

As Marcus comes to a halt before the front door, he can feel his palms sweating and his heart racing. Taking a deep breath, he gently opens the door and freezes when all he can see are birds.

Gulls, crows, sparrows, robins, swallows, starlings, they’re _everywhere._ On the fences, the wires, on the grass, on the porch's railing, on the roof of the barn. They didn’t make a sound, they simply stared at him with their dark eyes. Follow his movement towards the barn where the car’s parked.

Uttering a small prayer, he opens the door, slides into the car and starts the engine. He then slowly makes his way out the barn and halts in front of the house.

With a tight knod in his stomach, and sweatinh, Marcus quickly darts out of the car and back into the house, and straight to the library where all three women are waiting for him.

“The car’s waiting in front of the house. I do want to warn you all, it is swarming with birds outside, but they don’t do anything,” he informs them.

They all give him a weak nod as he makes his way towards Abby. “Wrap your arms around my neck so I can lift you.”

“I can walk,” Abby protests, but Marcus notices her wince as she tries to move, so he simply gathers her in his arms, ignoring her small exclamation of protest.

“Can I bring my lovebirds?” Sophie pleads. “Please? I don’t want to leave them. Besides they haven’t done anything wrong.”

He shares a look with his mother before she gives her daughter an affarmative nod. “Alright, you can get them.”

Soon enough, they’re all standing on the porch, their eyes trained on all of the birds surrounding them. Marcus can tell that his mother and sister are frightened. Glancing down he notices that Abby has her eyes closed, both too weak and tired to keep them open as trusting him completely to keep her safe. The latter fact warms his heart and he feels himself falling for her even more. 

“Just try to move as slow as possible,” Marcus murmurs and step by step they arrive at the car.

His sister and mother get in first and he then lowers Abby onto the backseat where Vera immediately wraps her arm around her, causing Marcus to smile.

Swiftly taking place behind the wheel, Marcus gently presses down on the gas pedal and the car makes its way out of the drive way.

At the sound of the car engine the birds do begin to stir, they flap their wings and utter soft screeches. Yet, they remain in place. They simply stare at them, unblinkingly,  their beady eyes following the car’s movement.  

“We’re going to be alright. As soon as we hit the highway, we’ll be safe,” Marcus promises them while glancing into the review mirror, catching Abby’s gaze.

”We’re going to be absolutely fine,” he repeats, his eyes locked on Abby’s and she offers him a soft smile.

”Yes, we are,” she replies.

_No matter what happens next, they’re in this together and together they can overwin anything_


End file.
